The Anthropologist in the Dream
by sunnyamazing
Summary: AU: If you dream of the life you've never had, what happens when you wake up? How do you balance the power of a dream with the reality of life? Chapter Fifteen: Going Home.
1. Problem

_So Bones is continuing to inspire me to write, I think it is my new season five DVD's. So I have decided to attempt a multi-chapter fic, there will be a few twists and turns and at the moment the title won't make much sense, but give me time and it will. Enjoy :)_

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter One: Problem**

Angela stared towards the bed where her best friend slept, wishing that she would wake from her slumber. Angela wanted to tell someone something, a secret that had been burning away inside of her for the past six weeks, the only person that she wanted to tell was Temperance Brennan, and she needed to tell her first. Angela considered Brennan as her sister and it was sisters that got to hear happy news first.

In the year and one week that they had not seen each other, many things had changed, Angela now realised that she didn't belong in Paris, a place she had wanted to get back to for the longest time. Even with her impressive French vocabulary that would even impress her friend, she had realised that it was back in Washington where she now belonged. She had found a home at the Jeffersonian, all of them had and that in the most part was thanks to Brennan. She smiled her friend, even she looked different than she had the last time Angela had seen her. She had cut off her hair and it framed her tanned but pale face, she looked calm as she slept, her chest rising and falling every few seconds, an action that made Angela calm and believe that she would soon wake up, what had not changed was the realisation of how much Angela cared for Brennan and how lucky she was to have her as a friend. Angela was desperate to have 'girl talk', she had missed it so much over the past year, she needed to have her friend wake up and talk to her, even if it was to say that she had no idea what she was talking about.

Angela watched as Brennan's calm face moved into a smile, which it had done a few times in the day that Angela had been beside her. Angela wondered what she was dreaming of, wondered of what was making her smile. Angela sighed and leant back into the uncomfortable hospital chair, her eyes closed slowly and without realising she fell into a listless sleep, until she heard a familiar voice.

"Ange, are you okay?" said the quiet voice of her husband Jack Hodgins, as he gently tapped her on the shoulder.

"Huh, what?" Angela replied sleepily, before jumping up from her chair, "Brennan, is Brennan okay?"

"She's fine, she's still asleep." Jack replied, sitting on the edge of the chair which Angela had jumped up from, he patted her back and Angela sat back down, her pulse returning to normal.

"They gave me this at reception, they meant to give it to us when we got here but in all the confusion they forgot," Jack continued as he handed Angela a brown and dirty satchel bag, "Apparently it's Brennan's. Daisy packed it for her before they brought her back here, it's apparently everything that she considered Brennan might need in the short term."

Angela took the satchel from her husband and placed it on her own lap, "Do you think I should look inside?" she questioned quietly.

Hodgins smiled and looked towards Brennan, "I don't think she is going to notice," he said with a small laugh, "and besides we ALL know that you are a very curious woman and I am sure that you are dying of curiosity to know what is in that bag."

Angela smiled before nodding, her husband did indeed know her too well, almost as well as she knew herself. She reached into the satchel, her hand searching for something that she didn't know she was looking for, eventually her hand hit something hard and Angela pulled it out. It was Brennan's diary, slightly worse for wear on the outside, more worn than Angela had ever seen a diary of Brennan's but as she turned the pages, the inside was as neat as always.

With curiosity in her mind, Angela flipped the pages until she was at today's week and she was surprised by what she found. Written delicately in the familiar handwriting she knew so well was at 11am Brennan had written '_Meet Booth.' _She turned her head to look at Jack, who had closed his eyes and was humming a French tune to himself, one that Angela recognised.

"Jack, we've got a problem." She said softly, before pointing down at the diary appointment.

"We do?" Jack questioned, as he opened his eyes and began to read, "Oh," he replied before agreeing with his wife, "I guess we do."

Angela looked up at the clock opposite her still sleeping friend, it was already 9:50am, she didn't like her chances of Brennan making her appointment.

"Do we know where they were to meet?" Jack questioned, as he tried to think carefully of possible places.

"It doesn't say here." Angela replied, the only other words on that week were also on today's date. _'Arrive home.' _was pencilled in for 9am. Angela smiled a wistful smile, Brennan was already home, she'd arrived two days ago, one before Angela and Hodgins arrived home also. As soon as they had landed Angela's phone had been clogged with messages from Cam, telling her that Brennan was in the hospital in Washington. Angela had come straight from the airport to see Brennan and had hardly left her side in the twenty something hours since. Suddenly Angela was worried, did Booth know that Brennan had been injured, did he even know that she was in the hospital. She sighed once more, "It could be anywhere," she eventually replied, "And who knows if he's even been told that Brennan is already back."

Jack patted Angela on the back once more as she continued, "There are so many places, the diner, Founding Fathers, the Jeffersonian, the FBI building, either one of their apartments and we don't have time to check them all, it will take too long and we could miss seeing him." Angela finished worriedly.

"It'll be okay Ange, we will find him." Jack replied, seeing the tension and worry crease across his wife's forehead, he stood up from the chair and leant down and kissed her softly, "I'll call Cam, see if she knows when Booth lands, you keep reading the diary, there could be anything in there, a clue perhaps." And with that final sentence Jack left the room, leaving Angela with questions that still only one person could answer.

**_So Brennan is in hospital and we don't know how she got there and her friends can't work out where Booth is going to be, if you'd like to read more you know what to do :)_**


	2. Letter

_Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed or put this story on alert for the first chapter, it made me very happy. A nice chapter to get further into the story, please let me know what you think._

_I don't own anything, otherwise there would have been a few changes to the episodes we have seen._

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Two: Letter**

Jack sighed as he left his wife alone with the still sleeping Brennan, for all that Brennan had been through in the past few days Jack was pleased to see how well she looked, even if at the moment she didn't look wonderful. Both he and Angela had been shocked when they had received Cam's messages, the two of them had expected Brennan to be home the week before them that was after all what she had said in the last email Angela had received a month earlier. Her trip to the Maluku Islands was for a year exactly, however she had been there for almost an extra week and in that time had managed to get herself into a life or death situation. He glanced down at his watch, both he and Ange had an hour to discover where Booth and Brennan had arranged to meet, only an hour to discover secrets between two very close friends, now he was getting worried, they certainly didn't have enough time. Jack pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled the familiar number of their shared Jeffersonian boss, she answered quickly.

"Jack, is Brennan okay?" a worried Camille Saroyan said answering her phone as she sat in her office back at the Jeffersonian.

"She's fine, no change since this morning. She's sleeping peacefully at the moment, they've kept her on the same amount of meds since we've been here. Angela is still with her." Jack replied in a calm voice, which was met by a deep sigh of relief from his boss. "We do have a small problem though."

"We do?" Cam questioned, immediately worried once more.

"Has anyone told Booth?"

"No I don't think so." Cam replied, "I didn't feel that it was something I could write in an email and he didn't answer his satellite phone. Is that the problem?" she asked, hoping that Booth wouldn't magically appear at her door, furious that he hadn't been told of his partner's condition earlier.

"Sort of." Hodgins replied.

"Hodgins you are being unnaturally short in your answers, what has happened?"

"Ange has read Brennan's diary, she was to meet Booth somewhere in approximately fifty five minutes, but we don't know where."

"Oh," Cam answered, "I suppose that is a problem."

"Exactly." Jack answered, "You don't have any idea when Booth was getting back do you?" he questioned hopefully.

"No, I don't. I thought he was coming back a few days ago, a week ago even. But I ran into Agent Hacker last week and he said Booth asked to stay a few days longer and that he'd agreed."

"Wait, Ange said that Brennan was meant to be back before us, and she'd originally thought it was last week too."

"So they must have had some contact with each other then," Jack replied, his mind calculating once more, "Each of them extended their trip by a week, or in Brennan's case less than a week, but that was circumstance."

"I see." Cam replied with thought, she wondered how much Hacker knew about Booth's return and how much he would be able to tell her.

[-]

Angela remained sitting as she continued to leaf through Brennan's diary, there was a limited amount of information contained in the pages. Occasionally there was a note about a place, or a certain type of parasite or a discovery that one of her colleagues had made. Then so often there was a notation about a particular behaviour of someone around her or something that someone had said. Angela sighed and was about to give up when she caught sight of a folded piece of paper tucked into one of the pages, it was a letter, written a few weeks ago. Angela reached for the piece of paper and unfolded it slowly, she smiled recognising the familiar scrawl and began to read.

**Dear Bones,**

**I know that it has been awhile since we spoke over the phone and I am sorry but things have been difficult here. We lost another man yesterday, he was one of mine, I'd been training him and he had real promise. He would have been a great soldier, he could shoot almost as accurately as me once I had finished with him. **

**Bones, he had a family, he had a baby son he'd never seen and it made me begin to think what I was doing here, why I'd ever come back. Why I've lasted almost a year here. I have Parker and he means the world to me and I can't wait to see him, I don't want to miss out on anymore of his life, I have a chance to see him grow up, grow up even more than he already has.**

**But I am writing to say that I am going to stay another week, I want to be here when they send James home, I feel I need to say goodbye to him here and goodbye to everyone else over here, I made a decision last night, I won't be coming back here again. I've realised that I don't belong here any longer, this feels like it is a part of my old life. I belong back in Washington, I miss everyone, I miss the Jeffersonian, I miss the diner and I miss pie, even if you hate it. **

**I hope you get this in time before you leave the islands and I hope you understand why I am staying. Can we put back our meeting by a week? One year and one week we meet? Both of us back in Washington, back where I believe I belong.**

**See you soon Bones, I'm not being a hero I promise.**

**- Booth**

Angela dropped the letter to the floor and the diary followed, she felt guilty for reading such private correspondence, if either Brennan or Booth ever found out about her reading the letter neither of them would be impressed. Angela bent down and retrieved the letter and the diary, refolding the letter and tucking it back into the same place as it had been before. It was then that she noticed the writing in the week prior to this one, at the same time as today's appointment it read _'Meet Booth, reflecting pool, mall, coffee cart.' _Angela's head shot up, she had found where they were to meet, the only thing now was to decide who went to tell Booth about Brennan.

[-]

"Hacker couldn't tell me when or where Booth was landing, I'm sorry Hodgins." The disappointment shone through Cam's usually calm voice, as soon as Hodgins answered her return phone call, "There was something in there about national security as well," she continued.

"Typical." Hodgins answered as he rolled his eyes, "I guess it is still up to us then."

"I guess so." Cam replied before sighing, if only Booth had answered his satellite phone.

"I'd better get back to Angela," Hodgins said flatly, as he began to stand, before he noticed Angela storming towards him with a smile on her face, a smile that showed him that she had discovered something useful, "Wait Cam," he said into the phone, "Angela's here, I think she's found something, I'm going to put you on speaker."

"I know where he is going to be," Angela said excitedly as she reached the half sitting, half standing figure of her husband, he sat back down as she neared him, "The reflecting pool at the mall," she finished triumphantly.

"Good work Angela." Cam replied through the phone, her voice slightly less disappointed.

"Very clever." Jack whispered as he leant up to kiss Angela slowly on her forehead.

Angela smiled, a half smile, she still didn't know who would be the one to tell Booth about his hospitalised partner.

"I guess we need to decide who goes to the reflecting pool?" Cam said flatly, breaking the small silence that had descended between her friends on the phone and herself.

Angela sat down next to Hodgins before she spoke quietly, "I think I'd like to go."

"You would?" Hodgins questioned, his wife wanted to leave Brennan? She had barely left the room since they had arrived, even a toilet stop was completed in the shortest amount of time, Hodgins had never seen her exit a bathroom as fast as she had over the past day.

"I don't want to leave Brennan, but I feel that I want to be the one who tells Booth, I don't know why, I just do." Angela stated before she leant her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Angela would you be more comfortable if I came and sat with Dr Brennan while you were gone?" Cam questioned, as she immediately began to stand, anticipating the answer.

"Yes, I'd like that." Angela replied, before staring up to look at Hodgins, he returned her stare, before smiling at her and dropping another kiss on her forehead.

"Then I am on my way." Cam stated, "I'll see you both soon," she said by way of ending her conversation and the phone clicked off.

"You're sure you want to go?" Hodgins questioned Angela as they both stood and began to walk towards Brennan's room.

"Yes Jack, I am positive." Angela reassured him, as she slipped her hand into his. "If you'd been injured I'd want Brennan to tell me, I'm just returning the favour," she said calmly as they reached the still sleeping Brennan's room.

Jack smiled as he retrieved his wife's small handbag from the ground, placing Brennan's satchel and diary on the small table next to her bed, before sitting down on the chair that Angela had made her own. "I understand," he told her as he handed the bag to Angela. "I'll be here while you are gone, and Cam will be here soon."

"I know, thanks." Angela replied before kissing Jack slowly, her body sliding into his lap for a hug.

Hodgins hugged his wife close, her head snuggled into the nook of his neck, he smiled and then dropped a kiss on her head, the smell of her shampoo wafting through his nose, "Go on then." He said encouragingly, "You don't want him to think she isn't coming."

"I'm going." Angela replied as she untangled herself from both Jack and the chair, she smiled a small smile before she turned to look at Brennan, taking her hand once again and leaning close to her, "Sweetie, I'm going to meet Booth, something you were meant to do, he's going to want to talk to you, so you'd better wake up soon."

"Good luck Ange." Jack said, as he took hold of the hand that wasn't holding Brennan's.

"I'll be fine. I know where to go. I know who I am going to see and I know what to tell him." Angela replied, as she let go of both Jack and Brennan and began to leave the room, "It will be fine," she added as she stepped into the corridor. "I'll see you both soon."

"See you soon." Jack called after her, watching her leave, he sighed to himself as he picked up one of the magazines that they had brought for the plane ride home and began to read, he certainly didn't envy the task his wife was about to endure, to tell Booth that his partner was currently unconscious and that he was the last to know.

_So Angela is on her way to see Booth, so that means that the next chapter is all about our favourite FBI agent. _


	3. Home

_Once again thanks so much to the reviewers and everyone that put this story on alert, it means more than you will ever know. I have become addicted to writing this, so much so that I dreamt it the other night, which is appropriate given the title!_

_Here we step into the mind of one Seeley Booth and what has happened to him in his year and one week away, enjoy!_

_Also please tell me that I wasn't the only one who bought a new toothbrush after the latest Bones episode! I even bought a case for mine!_

_I still own nothing, except my DVD's, my laptop and my imagination._

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Three: Home**

Seeley Booth sighed as he stepped off the army plane and down onto the Washington ground that he had missed so much. The tarmac was quiet except for the technicians who were already at work on the plane, readying it for its return back to Afghanistan. His bag swung gently on his shoulder as he headed for the lobby, where he could hear the excited screams of wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, children, mothers and fathers of the soldiers he had travelled back with. He knew that there would be no-one waiting for him here. He had expressly told Rebecca not to bring Parker to meet him here and that he would call her when he was on his way to see her and his son.

He moved quickly through the lobby, trying to ignore the sounds of love and laughter that had filled the room. There was one wife and son that weren't here to welcome a solider home. James' wife Lucy and his baby son weren't here, they hadn't been able to welcome a person home, it had been a body they had waited for. James would have arrived home yesterday; his body had left the base a few days before Booth did, seven days longer than the year Booth had planned to stay. He stood at the doorway to the lobby watching the scenes all around him as he waited for the car that he knew had been arranged to take him back into the city. He watched as one of the other sergeants' picked up a small girl in a blue dress and swung her around in the air, the sound of her happy laughter filled the room, her daddy was back and she was thrilled. He smiled despite his sadness and began to think, he had gone to Afghanistan to train soldiers not to die, they'd thought that his FBI experience would help defeat the insurgents that had begun to creep increasingly closer to base, however James had still died and others would continue to. War was war, Booth should have known that, he had after all been there before, why had he thought that this would be any different, they were always going to lose people. It wasn't what his son had said, that if he went to Afghanistan he was going to be able to save people instead of being here where he was solving what happened to already dead people. Booth had been taken in by that too, taken in by the spiel, he'd been tricked by it too.

He looked up as a car stopped in front of him and the window rolled down, "Booth?" the driver questioned, he nodded and climbed into the back of the car, ready for his trip back into the city. He sunk into the seat of the car as the view outside the window changed, James had been the most skilled he had seen in a long time and even with Booth's training he had still died. Booth had made a decision the night after James had died, a decision that had been weighing on his mind for the last six months of his deployment, he wasn't going back to Afghanistan again, he had served his country and for the most part, he had done it well, even the army was sure of that last point, it didn't matter if they had tried to convince him to come back again, he wasn't going to. That part of his life was over, it was here where he belonged.

The car slowed and Booth realised that they had arrived at the mall, he thanked the driver and climbed out of the car, his bag once more on his shoulder. He wandered further into the mall and found a seat near the coffee cart and the reflecting pool where he sat down, dropping his bag to the ground. He stared out into the scene around him, relishing the calm sounds of Washington. He stared down towards his watch and looked at the time, it was 10:55 am. He then allowed himself to think of the woman that he had come here to meet, Bones. He hoped that she had found something amazing in Maluku, something that had made her happy, but not something as amazing that she would be going back and not working with him any longer. He had missed her, he had missed her honesty, missed the way she was able to take everything so literally, missed that she was the one person who never lied, everyone seemed to lie in war. They lied that things were going to get better on base, that they were making a difference.

Booth had felt Bones begin to pull away from the partnership that they had created during the trial of Heather Taffet, She had admitted a weakness to him about herself, that she had nightmares. Nightmares of Hodgins bleeding and himself drowning and she hadn't been able to rescue either of them and even if she hadn't admitted it fully he believed that she was being injured in these dreams too.

He had felt her pull away emotionally at the same time, that her personal relationships with the team at the Jeffersonian had clouded her ability to think rationally. She was invested in the lives of others, their hopes, dreams, loves, safety and that had affected the science, her ability to be what she had been before the two of them met. Booth believed that was what going to Maluku had all been about, Bones getting back to science, to discovering ancient populations to thinking rationally once more. Booth only hoped that she had missed what she had become, even if she believed that she was incapable of change and that she had missed what they had become together, it could have after all been more, if they hadn't screwed it up. Booth shook his head, this wasn't the time to think about the failings, it was time to look forward to seeing his friend, his closest friend.

He could still see her face as she left him standing on the pavement, her face turning back to look at him through the back window of a cab, twice, the cab had driven her off into the night and he had been left behind. The first had been after their first kiss, she had left him in the rain after both of them consuming far too much tequila for both of their own goods, then there had been a fight between the two of them and they hadn't seen one another for a year. The second was much more recent than the first, she had climbed into the cab outside the Founding Fathers and that was when he had felt the distance close in between the two of them. She had closed him out once more, her walls pulled up around her and yet again they had been separated. This separation had however been punctured by the occasional email and letter and the even more rare satellite phone call. He stared back down towards his watch and realised that it was just after 11, she was late, a very un-Bones like characteristic.

He'd only hoped that she would be here soon, that she would still be meeting him and that she still wanted to meet him. His last letter had received no response and he hoped that she hadn't been here last week and he had not shown up. Booth hoped that she was coming back to him and maybe if he was honest that she had missed him as much as he had missed her.

_So there we have it, the thoughts of Booth. Next time it's Angela and Booth time and some conversation between the two of them._


	4. Conversation

_Thanks once again to all the reviewers and for all of the alerts, you make me very happy!_

_Now given that there was no conversation in that last chapter I have made up for it with quite a bit of conversation here. You will indeed find out what happened to Brennan and have Booth's reaction._

_In good news I have finally decided what will happen in this whole story of mine. I worked it out after watching The Critic in the Cabernet, The End in the Beginning, The Parts in the Sum of the Whole, The Boy with the Answer and The Beginning in the End all in one day. All I can say is I needed my tissue box._

_Anyway please enjoy this chapter as much as you can, I'd love to know what you think._

_Still I own nothing, just my DVD's and an imagination that writes in my head as I work._

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Four: Conversation**

Angela sighed as she pulled into a vacant car space, the clock had just flashed to 11 and she knew that she was now late, something that Brennan never was. The traffic between the hospital and the mall had been busy, it had taken her twenty minutes to drive one and a half blocks, a quarter of the journey, but she was finally here now. She climbed from the car and headed towards where she believed Booth would be, the mall was busy, people seemed to be crowding every space available and suddenly Angela felt nervous, she began to twist her wedding ring around her finger. Suddenly the crowd parted and there he was, alone sitting next to the coffee cart, still in his army uniform. Angela smiled as she remembered the last time she had seen him, he had surprised Brennan at the airport and the two of them had shared a private goodbye. Angela sighed once more before she thought not for the first time that the two of them had been tiptoeing around one another for too long. She took a deep breath and walked over towards Booth, a smile plastered on her face.

[-]

He couldn't deny that he wasn't a little worried, each minute after 11 seemed to tick by ever so slowly, he kept staring out into the distance, searching for the familiar figure of his partner but she had yet to arrive, it wasn't until he saw another familiar woman walking towards him, that his worry began to grow. Angela was walking towards him and by the fake looking smile she was trying to fool him with, his worry was justified, there was something wrong. He stood and waved to her slowly, she had seen him and suddenly Booth felt nervous, where was Bones?

[-]

Angela kept smiling as she noticed that Booth had realised it was her, she noticed his small wave and soon enough she was standing in front of him.

"Booth." She said with a smile as she reached out to hug him.

"Angela." Booth replied, as he took hold of her arms and the two of them hugged.

Soon enough the hug was over and they were left staring at the other, each of them waiting for the other to speak, it was Angela who broke first.

"Booth," she said calmly, even surprising herself with the depth of calm her voice was able to portray, "I think you should sit down."

Instantly he was worried, Angela thought she was being calm, but he could hear the worry in her voice, he sat down before he fell down, worried about what Angela was going to say, worried that Bones wasn't here and wondered how Angela even knew that he was going to be here. He watched as Angela sat down beside him and stared at him, he noticed how she took a deep breath and he couldn't wait to know what was going on any longer. "Angela," he asked staring back at her, "Not that I'm not pleased to see you, but what are you doing here? Where's Bones?"

Angela took another deep breath, before she began to tell Booth what had happened to their shared friend, "Brennan is okay," she stated and she noticed Booth let out a small breath that he hadn't realised he had been holding, "But she is in hospital."

"Hospital?" Booth repeated, as his fists clenched automatically, if someone had hurt her then he would hurt them.

Angela nodded slowly, "Three days ago in Maluku Brennan was stung on the ankle by a cone shell."

"A shell can sting?" Booth asked confusedly, his eyebrows raising, so it wasn't a person that had hurt her, his fists relaxed a little.

"According to Jack it is also known as a cone snail," Angela explained, "she was searching one of the final parts of the island when she slipped on a rock and the snail stung her."

"She slipped?" Bones fell over, that was rare, what had she been doing at the time.

Angela nodded once again, before she continued, "She was fine at first, at first she just had pain and swelling in her ankle and parts of her leg. But over twelve hours she deteriorated, she fainted and became unconscious and she had a convulsion, perhaps more than one." Angela managed to say before her voice gave away to her emotions and a tear escaped the corner of her eye, followed by a flood of tears running down her cheeks.

"Bones had a convulsion?" Booth repeated once more, seemingly unable to form sentences of his own, taking comfort in being able to repeat what Angela was telling him, he reached out to touch Angela on her arm, giving her some comfort. He had been waiting for Bones, but she wasn't coming to meet him, she had been injured and he hadn't known, he hadn't been with her, instantly he felt guilty, he'd always been there to protect her from anything, this time he hadn't been. "Angela," he said, "Where is Bones?" he asked, waiting for an answer, almost readying himself for a trip to Indonesia, wherever she was he needed to be with her.

"George Washington." Angela stated, as her tears slowed and she wiped at her face with her hands, her worry still showing through with a shaky voice.

"Bones is here?"

"Apparently before she left for Maluku she organised an emergency care plan should anything happen to any of the members of the dig. There was a plane on standby and medical care had been arranged to take place here. I think she arranged it all for others not realising that it was her that was going to need it." Angela explained as her tears began to disappear completely, pulling herself back together.

Booth smiled despite his worry, it was just like Bones to be so organised, he knew that she would have taken care of the people she had been assigned to look after and for her sake he was glad she had. "Wait Bones was still in Maluku three days ago? I thought she was coming home a week ago."

"That's what we thought too, but she was meant to come home today like you did."

Booth was still confused, had Bones changed her plans because of him, he stood up, Bones was here, here in Washington, only a few miles from where he now sat with Angela, "I need to see her." He needed to see her now, as much as he was glad to see Angela, Bones was injured, he needed to see her as soon as he could, he needed to be with her.

Angela stood next to Booth, she knew that he was going to say that sometime and that was why she hadn't put her car keys into her bag, "I'll take you to her."

"Thanks Angela." Booth replied as he bent down and picked up his bag, throwing it over his shoulder once again.

"You are welcome Booth." Angela replied, as she began to head back through the crowd of people and she knew that Booth was right behind her.

_So there we have it, I couldn't have Brennan injured by a person cause we all know that Booth would have to deal with the person so it became a snail/shell. They are scary looking things too!_

_Next time Booth sees Brennan for the first time!_


	5. Hospital

_Once again thanks to everyone reading, reviewing, adding to the alerts and favourites, you make me very happy, I'd love to know your thoughts._

_Here we have Booth on his way to see his Bones, enjoy!_

_Still nothing is mine, just an overactive imagination._

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Five: Hospital**

The car ride between the two of them was mainly silent, Booth had simply slipped into the car beside Angela and she had quickly started the car and begun to navigate the still busy Washington streets. Booth had ignored the ever increasing speed limit that Angela seemed to be driving at, technically he was not an FBI agent at that moment and the quicker he could see Bones the better.

"Angela," Booth said breaking the silence that had descended between the two of them, "How did you know where to find me?"

"Brennan's diary," Angela answered, leaving out the part about reading the letter he had written Brennan, "She had written that she was to meet you today and where."

Booth smiled, the ever organised Bones struck again, he looked towards Angela, concentrating on her for the first time, he could see that she hadn't slept properly in a few days, immediately he felt bad that he hadn't asked her how she was and how her husband was, after all he hadn't seen her for over a year either. "So how was Paris?"

Angela smiled, before she slightly turned her head to speak to Booth, "It was amazing, Jack and I had a fantastic time, although I think he missed analysing dirt," she said with a small laugh, "I did once catch him with a handful of dirt from a flower pot near the Eiffel tower."

Booth laughed, this was what he had missed too. It wasn't just Bones that he missed from his old life but it was all of them, especially Angela and Hodgins, he was glad that they had gotten married and had an amazing year together. "Did he find anything in the dirt?"

"No I don't think so. I think he just wanted to look at something familiar. He did remind me that dirt wasn't an accurate description of what he had found," Angela explained as she laughed to herself.

"So how long have you been back?" Booth asked as they neared closer to the hospital.

Angela looked towards the clock on the dash reading the time before making some mental calculations, "About twenty six hours, give or take."

"Have you even been home? Either of you."

Angela smiled wryly, "No, we haven't."

"So you've been here the whole time?" Booth questioned as Angela pulled into the car park of the hospital.

"Of course." Angela declared.

"You are a good friend Angela." Booth stated as Angela swung the car into a park, right in the front row and switched off the ignition.

"So are you Booth." Angela replied with a small smile as the two of them left the car, Booth immediately swinging his bag over his shoulder once more and pacing towards the elevator, Angela followed and she pressed the button for Brennan's floor.

[-]

Booth sighed inwardly as the elevator seemed to take its own time to arrive on the floor where Bones was. He wanted to pace back and forwards, he wanted to release some of the nervous tension that had come to rest in his legs since Angela had told him about Bones and her accidental biting by a snail or was it shell? He yawned as the sudden feeling of tiredness and worry swept over him, he had noticed that Angela hadn't slept in awhile and he began to wonder when he had last slept. Thoughts of sleep were soon forgotten as the elevator pinged and the doors slid open, he turned to look back towards Angela.

"Go to the right at the end of the corridor, then her room is three doors down on the left." Angela explained, she knew that Booth would want to run this last part, he was this close to seeing Brennan and Angela hoped that by him being there he could get her to wake up.

"Thanks Angela." Booth replied as he began to run, his heart beating faster in his chest.

"You're welcome." Angela called after him, as he soon disappeared out of sight.

[-]

Booth could feel the weight of his bag hitting against his back as he raced down the corridors towards where Bones would be. It took him a minute to realise that he had to turn right at the end of the first corridor and his heavy army boots slid along the pristine white linoleum, soon enough he had managed to count three doors down and he was outside her room. He stepped into the room and as he stared towards the bed, he felt his heart pound inside his chest, faster than it had already been pounding. It was her, there she was, it was Bones lying in the hospital bed in front of him. He walked straight over to her, ignoring the rest of the room and took hold of her hand, she was pale and her hand felt warm and slightly clammy but other than that she looked okay. Her foot was elevated and he could see that it was swollen but she looked better than what he had imagined on his way here.

[-]

Jack and Cam slipped from Brennan's room silently, Booth had made no realisation that the two of them were in the room and they had not let him know of their presence. Angela soon joined him and slipped her arm within Jack's smiling softly towards the two of them.

"How did it go?" Cam questioned, as the three of them watched Booth as he sat down next to Brennan, still holding her hand tightly.

"Okay," Angela replied with a slight wrinkle of her nose, "He knew that something was wrong as soon as I arrived."

Cam smiled, "Seeley has always been good at reading people. That's what made him such a good agent."

"As soon as he knew she was in Washington he wanted to see her."

"That doesn't surprise me." Jack added as they continued watching their two friends.

"Nor me." Cam replied as Booth leant closer to Brennan and seemed to be speaking to her.

"Canteen?" Angela questioned, feeling a little awkward standing out in the middle of the corridor, she wanted to race into the room and listen to all that was going on. But she knew that Booth needed time with their friend and she would give him that, for now.

Both Jack and Cam nodded and they filed down the corridor one after another leaving Booth and Brennan together.

[-]

Booth sighed as he sat down on the chair next to the bed, his hand still clenched Bones' tightly. His bag slid from his shoulder and hit the floor with a thud. There was no reaction from the woman in the bed and Booth knew then that she was certainly in a deep sleep. He looked towards her face and it seemed peaceful, despite the paleness of her cheeks the Indonesian sun had tanned her and her hair was much shorter than it had been when the two of them parted ways. He moved the chair closer to her and began to speak for the first time, "So Bones who went and got themselves injured then?" he questioned her, watching her chest rise and fall with the sound of her breath. "You were supposed to meet me, I should have made you promise not to be a hero Bones, not to be yourself." He sighed once more, as he leant his head onto the side of the bed next to Bones' hand, this wasn't the reunion he had planned with his partner, he had thought the diner would have been the place to go, not a small room hidden away in the George Washington hospital, with his partner unconscious and unable to speak to him.

_Next time, we get closer to Brennan waking up!_


	6. Waiting

_So here is the next chapter, thanks for all of the reviews they are as always very appreciated, they make my day! I hope you enjoy this chapter, please let me know what you think!_

_Also how amazing was Emily Deschanel in the preview for this weeks episode, I sobbed for an hour after I watched it. I am stocking up on tissues this week, I think I'll need them._

_As always nothing is mine._

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Six: Waiting**

An hour passed and Booth still sat in the same position, he continued to watch the still sleeping Bones, watching as her face wrinkled as if she was confused and then suddenly smiled. It was the smiles that intrigued Booth, he wondered wholeheartedly what was making his partner beam as if her face was going to explode with joy. He smiled to himself, he couldn't help it, after all smiles were contagious, even if the person giving it to him couldn't see him returning one to her. Booth sighed for what felt like the twenty- fourth time today, it seemed mad, but sitting here next to Bones holding her hand he felt a strange sense of calm. A sense of calm that had been missing for the past year, a sense of calm that he had wanted back, he yawned and rested his head into the stiff hospital sheets, his hand still holding Bones' tightly, the chair he was sitting in touching the side of her bed, he yawned for a second time and he finally allowed himself to close his eyes.

[-]

"Do you think we should go back?" Angela questioned worriedly, as she stirred her now stone cold tea slowly, the liquid threatening to spill out of the polystyrene cup.

"Angela, I am sure that they are fine." Hodgins replied, his hand reaching across the table to squeeze hers.

"You never know Seeley might have been able to wake her up," Cam said with a smile, "You both know how well they know each other." Angela smiled and nodded, as Cam continued, "Anyway you two married ones, I want to hear all about Paris."

"Paris was wonderful." Hodgins began, "Wasn't it Ange? You have to tell Cam about the amazing painting you made."

Angela giggled, "Which painting Jack?" she questioned, there had after all been so many in a year filled with beautiful scenery, architecture and of course love.

"The one I helped you with."

"Oh that one," Angela managed to answer between giggles, before beginning to explain the one painting her husband had _tried_ to help her make.

[-]

Doctor Nina Barnes wandered along the hospital corridors making her rounds, she stopped suddenly as she reached the room of Doctor Temperance Brennan. She had known who this patient was from the moment that she had been placed under her care. Temperance was a lucky woman, without the correct medical attention that she had duly organised for others she could have been in a much worse condition than simply a swollen ankle and a medium level sedation. It was then that she noticed the figure of a man sleeping next to her, his hand holding hers tightly, it was a different man that had been with the worried looking brunette earlier in the day. This man was head to toe dressed in army fatigues, complete with very heavy and scary looking boots. Immediately Nina knew that this must have been who the brunette had gone to fetch earlier that day, the brunette had asked if anyone could reserve her a close parking space as she was going to collect someone very important and he was going to want to see the patient as soon as possible. Nina smiled to herself, normally she didn't eavesdrop, but this was her favourite author and it all made sense that this was Temperance's famous FBI partner. She smiled once more and retrieved an extra blanket from the small alcove hidden in the room, she tiptoed silently and draped the blanket over him, he made no movement and Nina left the room, Temperance Brennan was definitely a lucky lucky woman, both in her health and the friendship stakes.

[-]

Angela smiled as she and her husband wandered hand in hand, with Cam following, down the quiet hospital corridor. The three of them had lost track of time completely and had been away from both Booth and Brennan for almost two hours. Once Cam had gotten Angela into talking about Paris it had been hard to get her to stop. Cam had learnt almost everything that the Hodgins-Montenegro couple had gotten up to in their year away and Cam had told them all about the replacements that had worked at the Jeffersonian whilst they had been away. Cam had explained how happy she was that they were back, the replacements hadn't been a patch on them at all.

Soon enough they had reached Brennan's room and Angela couldn't help but sigh at the scene that greeted them. Brennan was still fast asleep, her body in the same position as it had been when they left her, but there was Booth with her. He was fast asleep snoring quietly, his hand tight around hers, his chair as close to the bed as he could possibly get, there was a blue blanket wrapped around him as if they weren't the first people to discover this intimate scene.

"Ange," Jack began whispering, "I think we should take this opportunity to head home, I don't know about you but I could sure use a shower, an American shower nonetheless."

"I don't know Jack," Angela replied as she turned to look back at Jack and Cam, "What happens if she wakes up?" she asked worriedly, "I don't want her to be alone."

"She's not alone though Angela," Cam stated, "Seeley is back now and I doubt he will be going anywhere in the next few hours. You haven't left the hospital since you arrived. You need some rest too."

"Cam's right Ange," Jack said with a smile, squeezing her hand tightly, "Even if Brennan wakes up whilst we are gone, she isn't going to be alone."

Angela looked back towards Brennan and Booth, thinking rationally as she knew her friend liked her to do, then the argument of her husband and her boss made a lot of sense. Brennan wasn't alone, Angela knew that Booth wouldn't be going anywhere that was certain and she was tired, her legs were beginning to feel a little bit like lead and she did feel the need for a shower. She had caught sight of herself when she had headed to the bathroom and she wasn't looking wonderful, logically they were right, she needed to go home.

"Okay, okay. I agree, you've convinced me. Take me home Jack." Angela said as she let go of Hodgins' hand and stepped into Brennan's room, walking over to the sleeping twosome. She had done this, she had gotten Booth here to meet Brennan, and she had helped them meet one another again. "You take care of her," Angela whispered as she leant over to kiss Booth softly on the forehead, she smiled as he made no movement, it was right to leave them both alone to sleep, knowing the two of them as she did, she was sure that they were going to need it.

[-]

His eyes flickered open slowly, expecting to be greeted by the sights of the same army camp that had welcomed him each morning for the past year. The same shades of camouflage surrounding him, reminding him where he was. Instead it was the sterile white shades of a hospital that greeted him and it was then that he realised where he was. Room 26-14 of the George Washington Hospital in Washington DC, he was home, nothing of the past few hours had been a dream. He straightened himself upright and realised that there was now a blanket covering his back, someone had discovered the two of them and had attempted to make him comfortable, he smiled, probably Angela. He let go of Bones' hand, laying it gently on the blankets next to her as he stood and stretched, moving his arms to the side and stretching out his back. He couldn't lie to himself, that short sleep was one of the best he had had since he left for the army. He sat back down and moved his chair back a little from the bed before taking Bones' hand once more. It was then that he began to think, he thought again of James and of his wife that he had once spoken to on the satellite phone, he thought of Parker and how he wanted to see him as soon as he could, he thought of his friends, he thought of his old life when he was Special Agent Seeley Booth of the FBI, partnered with Doctor Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian and he began to wonder if he was going to be able to get that back. He looked towards Bones once more as once again she smiled, again he wondered what was making her smile. He hoped that she wasn't dreaming of Maluku discoveries, but that perhaps she was dreaming of their partnership too.

[-]

"So you're awake?"

Booth's head turned almost immediately to look where the voice had come from, he smiled towards the doctor who was beaming back at him. "I am yes."

"I hope you didn't mind me putting the blanket over you." Nina said as she came further into the room.

"Oh that was you," Booth said surprised, "I thought it must have been Angela."

"Angela?" Nina asked, "Is she the worried looking brunette?"

Booth smiled, "That would be her."

Nina smiled back as she began to check Temperance's vitals, "Temperance is a lucky woman."

"She is?" Booth questioned,

"She had organised the best medical care available and she had a good team with her." Nina explained as she noted down the changes in Brennan's condition.

"That's Bones for you," Booth said with a laugh, "She's always organised."

"Bones huh?" Nina asked, "I guess that makes sense."

"It took her awhile to get used to." Booth replied laughing once more, thinking of the many times Bones had told her not to call her Bones. "How is she?" He asked, as he watched the doctor continue with her monitoring.

"Temperance is stable, she is breathing alone and the swelling in her leg and ankle has reduced dramatically in the last twenty-four hours. I spoke to my colleague just before I came in here, we are going to reduce the sedatives this evening and overnight. I don't want you to get too excited, but this may cause her to wake up. However it could be a little longer yet. Just because we reduce the medicine, it wont be an instantaneous fix, it may take a little while longer. You might need to wait a little more." Nina explained as she finished copying down the rest of the vitals, calculating how much the medicine should be reduced by in the next few hours. Nina looked up from her clipboard, as Booth had not said anything, he was just staring wistfully at the sleeping Temperance. "I'll be back later." Nina said quietly, excusing herself from the room.

Booth turned and watched the doctor leave the room, he didn't like the way she said 'may', and that she had said it more than once. Booth knew Bones better than most and he knew that she would never give up. He knew that as soon as she was able to, Bones would be awake, there was no may about it. He leant back closer once more, whispering quietly in her ear, "You show them Bones, prove them wrong. I know how much you like proving that you are correct."

[-]

Angela smiled as she pulled into the hospital car park once more, her husband had been right. It was a good idea for her to go home, to get a few hours sleep, to eat something and to have a shower. She had not heard from Booth and she knew that this meant that things with Brennan had not gotten better, but they hadn't got worse and for this she was relieved. She climbed from the car and stared out into the distance, night was beginning to fall and she had come back alone to the hospital. She had left a sleeping Jack with a note pinned to the sheets of their bed, saying that she would be back soon and he should enjoy his sleep. She pulled open the back door of the car and reached for the two takeout bags that she had bought on her way back. She knew that Booth would not have thought to eat since he had arrived and even if he had managed to find something, it would have been hospital food after all. Jack had taken care of her, so she would take care of Booth.

[-]

He sat reading one of the magazines that he assumed Angela had left behind, he was so engrossed in reading an article about a reality TV star who had been found dead in Switzerland that he didn't hear Angela enter the room.

"Hey Studly," Angela said as she dropped the two takeout bags in front of him, "I brought dinner, Sweetie, it's your favourite. You're sure you don't want some?" she asked as she leant over Brennan.

"Angela," Booth said with a smile, "Now you look like someone who feels better? I guess you got some sleep then," he told her as she walked to the other side of the room to fetch herself another chair.

"I do and I did," Angela said with a smile, that wasn't all that she had done, but that was not something she planned on telling Booth, that was girl talk. "So anything happen while I was away?" she asked as she sat down next to him, pulling the bags open and handing Booth a small box and then a fork.

"They are going to reduce her sedation," Booth explained as he dropped the magazine, Angela clearly didn't realise he only had two hands, not three.

"They are?" Angela questioned, immediately getting excited.

"They've already started." Booth said, his mouth now half full of noodles, he'd had to stop himself from moaning as he took the first bite, he had forgotten how good food could be.

"Did they say how long until she wakes up?" Angela asked as she twirled her bland food around her own fork before taking a small bite, testing to see if her stomach would react.

"No," Booth replied, managing to stop eating for a moment, "All they said is it may cause her to wake up, not when."

"She will be awake soon Booth," Angela replied with a hint of certainty.

"And you know this how?" Booth questioned, wondering if Angela had the same thoughts as he did about Bones proving people wrong.

Angela smiled as she took another bite of her noodle dish, knowing what Booth's reaction would be; "I consulted Avalon whilst I was at home."

"Avalon Harmonia?" Booth questioned, "Your psychic?"

"Yes of course Avalon Harmonia, how many Avalon's do you know Booth?" Angela answered with a small laugh, punching Booth in the shoulder playfully. "She told me to tell you not to worry. That everything is still going to work itself out in the end."

"She told me not to worry," Booth said with a nod of his head, "It's a bit too late for that now." He said with a small smile, taking another bite of the noodles.

"We know Brennan," Angela said calmly, staring at Booth intently, "She will wake up, she'll just do it in her own time."

Booth smiled, Angela was a smart woman, in not only computer programs and art, but in the ways of her friends too.

"I could stay with her if you wanted to go home yourself." Angela said continuing.

"I'm okay." Booth replied defiantly, he wasn't leaving her. Even if Angela was here, he needed to be here too.

"Are you sure? You don't want to sleep, shower, unpack," Angela began, she could now see the same shades of tiredness and of worry in Booth's face that she had recognised in her own earlier in the day. "You don't even want to change out of that?"

"I did sleep before." Booth explained as he looked down at himself, he'd almost forgotten that he was still in uniform, changing hadn't been very important from the time that he'd heard about Bones being in hospital.

"Yes Booth, but you did sleep in that chair and I know that chair." Angela said softly, "That chair is not comfortable, it's not a bed."

Booth smiled as he took the last bite of his noodles, he had practically inhaled them in his hunger, "Compared to what I've slept on for the last year and a bit Angela this chair is amazing."

Angela had no response to that statement; she knew she wouldn't be able to argue with Booth.

"Thanks for the food Angela. I mightn't mind the chair but I was beginning to get hungry."

"You're welcome Booth," Angela replied smiling warmly towards him, before turning her attention back to Brennan, "You know sweetie you could have some if you woke up, it isn't cold just yet."

Booth smiled towards Angela, "I doubt noodles will wake her up,"

"I think it would've woken you up mister, you practically inhaled them." Angela said through laughter as she placed Booth's empty container back in the bag.

Booth laughed and it felt good, it felt good to laugh again.

_So there we have it, a bit of a long chapter here but then we needed this one to get onto the next one cause it is important!_


	7. Awake

_A new chapter for you all and it is the one that you have been waiting for!_

_You may have noticed that my name has changed, but I'm still me and this is still my story, well I am calling it my baby at the moment._

_Thanks once again to everyone who reviewed and alerted!_

_I was right about needing those tissues, I certainly used quite a few! Emily was simply amazing._

_As always nothing is mine._

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Seven: Awake**

"Now are you sure you don't want some time?" Angela asked a few hours later as she gathered her things together before standing up.

"Yes Angela, I'll be fine." Booth explained with a smile, "I'll see you in the morning." He said as he stood up politely.

Angela smiled, "You look after yourself as well as her." She said as she leant into Booth and hugged him warmly. "If she wakes up, you call me." She said as they pulled away and she pointed her finger towards him, "I want to know as soon as it happens."

"Yes Angela."

"I mean it Booth." Angela replied sternly, staring at Booth as if she was trying to scare him into submission.

Booth smiled and nodded before sitting back down, both of them would be fine and as much as he liked Angela, he liked just being with Bones, just being together as the two of them.

"I'll see you in the morning," Angela said as she began to walk towards the door, "both of you," she added with a smile.

"See you tomorrow." Booth replied as he turned his full attention back to Bones, taking hold of her hand once more.

Angela stopped at the window before they disappeared out of sight, Booth was staring intently at Brennan, Angela could almost feel what he was thinking, what he was wanting to say to Brennan, she sighed as she walked down the darkened corridor and back to her car.

[-]

He left Bones for the first time in the middle of the night as the doctor came back to check on her, he walked silently down the corridor heading for the bathroom. The hospital was quiet apart from some hushed voices at the nurses' station. He peered into each room and noticed that everyone seemed to have someone with them, someone holding their hand, someone speaking to them softly. He smiled; these were the human interactions that he had missed in his time away. Soon enough he had returned to Bones' room, the same doctor from before was peering over her, she smiled at him as he entered and took his seat back next to the bed.

"She's doing well."

Booth didn't respond, he simply just smiled out of habit and took hold of Bones' hand once more.

[-]

It was dark still as his hand scratched against his face, the first signs of stubble gracing his chin, he could see the clock in the room which told him it was just before five in the morning. He shifted his legs and stood up once more, stretching back and forward, he groaned slightly as it felt like every bone in his body clicked out of joint and back in again. He made one last neck movement before sitting back down again. He reached for the bottle of water that Angela had left him, taking a small sip. He had slept for a few hours, sleep that had been uninterrupted by the dreams that had been clouding his mind since James' death. It was under the dim hospital lights that he looked over at Bones once more, her face had returned to a shade of normalcy, she looked more like the Bones he knew.

[-]

She could hear different sounds that she wasn't used to, things seemed foggy as her eyes began to open, there was someone next to her, someone holding her hand.

[-]

Booth looked up as Bones began to stir, her eyes fluttered open and then closed, her hand moving against his.

"Bones are you awake?" he asked, as he stood up and leant over her, his face in front of hers, his other hand shaking at her shoulder.

Her eyes struggled to focus, she blinked, her eyes adjusting to the light. She could see a familiar face, but he looked different, he didn't look right. Her throat was dry, as she opened her mouth and began to speak, her voice was small and hoarse. "Seeley, is that you?"

Booth could see that she was struggling and then she spoke, calling him Seeley, instantly he was worried. He couldn't remember the last time Bones had called him Seeley, for the longest time he had just been Booth.

"You don't look right," Brennan said as she stared into the face in front of her, she swallowed hard, as she spoke once more, her voice stronger, "Your sebaceous layer is still tight, there is no extra tissue in your face, you have all your hair, it is still coloured. You aren't my Seeley. Where am I?"

Booth felt his hands begin to shake, what was she saying? Her Seeley, what was that medical mumbo jumbo she was saying, coloured hair, of course his hair was still the same, of course it was coloured, he hadn't gone grey, he wasn't that old, yet. "Bones are you alright? I'm here, it's me Booth."

"Where am I?" Brennan asked once more, nothing made sense to her, everything was a muddle, her head hurt.

"George Washington hospital." Booth managed to reply, his eyes staring into hers, Bones' pupils were dilated and she looked scared and Bones wasn't often scared, this made him terrified.

"Hospital," Brennan repeated, nothing made sense, "I don't understand, it felt so real, it has to have been real," she said as her eyes fluttered closed, she was so confused.

Booth watched as Bones' eyes closed once more, he slumped back into the chair, his hand shaking in hers, this all felt like a terrible sense of déjà vu, that the two of them had been here before, but that he had been the one in the bed, confused and unable to process what had been happening to him.

"It has to have been real." Brennan whispered as she slipped back into an uneasy sleep, "It just has to have been."

_Okay so I know that it is incredibly evil of me to leave it there, but it was necessary. The next chapter is of course the 'dream' that is mentioned in the title, well it's actually the next two chapters. So when you read it's going to be a little different, good different though :)_


	8. Dream  Part One

_I apologise for being so mean and leaving you with that cliff-hanger but I make it up to you with this next chapter and then the next one too, once I have finished editing it._

_Now this is the dream that Brennan has been having whilst she has been in hospital, so all those smiles she has been having are related to this dream. I hope that you like this chapter, I personally took solace in this whilst enduring my promo related sadness._

_Thanks for the reviews and alerts, you are making me one happy and ecstatic Australian._

_As always nothing is mine._

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Eight: Dream – Part One**

She watched as the German shepherd bounded away from the two of them, she sighed as he headed directly to the same almost frozen solid lake that she had reprimanded him for going near the day before.

She turned to the man next to her and smiled, "See I told you, he's the worst one of all."

"He's just a baby Bones." He replied as he limped along next to her, "You remember Barkly, he was just as bad. Remember he ran in front of that SUV when he was older than this one."

"Yes, I remember," she said with a smile, before turning back to the dog once more, moving closer to the animal, "Kipling Booth, get back here now, heel."

The dog turned and looked backwards at them, before turning back to the lake, snapping at the fallen snow and ice, if he was human Kipling would have been described as having difficulty paying attention, as Kipling was a dog he was simply disobedient.

"Excuse me, how come when he is bad he's a Booth and when he's perfect and fetches the newspaper or your anthropology journals he's a Brennan-Booth?" Her companion asked as he caught up to his wife and took hold of her arm.

"Seeley Booth, I don't know what that means." She said with a small laugh, she knew her husband was right, he could have Kipling when he was bad, but when his gorgeous brown eyes stared at her she wanted him as hers too.

He laughed before kissing her softly on the cheek, "Are you going to attempt to catch him then?"

"I guess I'd better, it's not like you can in your condition."

"Yes, my condition. Knee surgery, it isn't pleasant." Her husband told her, putting on his best sad face as he did so.

"I am well aware of that. I was the one who suggested that you have the reconstruction of your anterior cruciate ligament. I even found you the best doctor in the country to perform the surgery." She explained as she walked slowly over to the playing dog, hoping that she had learnt enough of her husband's stealth to catch him this time.

"Be careful Bones." He warned as he stood still and watched his wife in her latest attempt to catch their wayward puppy.

She turned back to look at him and raised her eyebrows, placing her finger over her lips, he wasn't helping the situation, she watched as Kipling's head moved back and forward, he had obviously caught sight of something that had piqued his interest. She took this as her moment of opportunity and hooked the lead over his neck, snapping it shut before the dog could realise what had happened. She pulled him back towards her and he made a small yelp, "Bad Kipling," she reprimanded as she dragged him through the snow back to her laughing husband. "Not funny Seeley, tomorrow you catch him."

He smiled as she linked her hand within his, "Tomorrow is Christmas Bones, Parker can walk him."

She smiled, "The next day then. You are not getting around this."

"Out Bones, getting out of this." He corrected automatically with a charm smile flashing across his face.

"Just walk Seeley," she replied, staring up towards his face smiling warmly, slowing the pace of the two of them, Kipling of course heard the word walk and attempted to break into a sprint. She sighed as she pulled back the lead, "Kipling Booth, no."

"See a Booth once more."

She laughed, "We need to get home, I've got shopping to do."

[-]

She watched as he sneakily tried to add a rather large box of chocolates to the shopping trolley, two of them in fact. She knew he thought she had been distracted by reading one of the new products on the grocery shelf, she however had been watching him and she caught his hand just as the chocolates were about to hit the trolley. "Seeley Booth how many times, I will not let you eat chocolate, do you not realise the saturated fat content of such a sweet and given your latest cholesterol tests.."

"I cannot simply purchase these for you," he said, cutting off her tirade, knowing what she was going to say next. "Bones, these aren't for me, they are for my grandchildren."

She smiled as she took the chocolates and placed them back on the shelf, "Seeley _our_ grandchildren have plenty of presents for tomorrow and one of them is only able to suckle from their mother at the present time."

"Okay Bones, I don't need to think of _our_ daughter doing that. It was strange enough her being pregnant, that meant she had to have you know." He said, shaking his hands before clapping them together.

"Had intercourse?" she questioned as she observed his face redden, distress crossing his aging features.

"Too much information, far too much. Couldn't you just let me remember her as that sweet little six year old that she once was, convincing you that marrying me was a good idea."

She smiled, remembering.

[-]

_She raced from the lab quickly, she only had half an hour for lunch on this particular day and she wanted to use every minute of it. Her best friend, almost sister Angela, who was in her final month of her maternity leave had called Brennan this morning asking her for lunch, telling her that she was bringing her baby with her. Even though she had only seen the child a few days before she delighted in seeing her godson, her second godson. By the time she had gotten there Angela was bouncing the smiling boy on her lap._

"_Sorry," she said by way of greeting as she kissed the baby on one of his chubby cheeks, "Hello Billy," she cooed as she sat down._

"_Hello to you too."_

"_Hello Angela, it is of course good to see you as well."_

"_Sweetie it's good to see you too."_

_Of course then the conversation had begun to flow as it often did between the two friends, before Angela cleared her throat and Brennan knew that her friend had something serious to discuss._

"_Sweetie, I have to tell you something."_

"_You are pregnant again?"_

"_No, not that, two is enough for now."_

"_Oh, what is it then?"_

"_It's about Isabella."_

She could remember the feeling in her chest, a feeling of tightening, and a feeling of worry swooping over her, that something was wrong with her daughter and she didn't know.

"_What's wrong?" she asked, as far as she had known Booth would be picking her up from first grade in about two hours time._

"_There's nothing wrong, well not seriously. It's something Benjamin told me yesterday."_

_Benjamin was Angela and Hodgins eldest son; he was in third grade at the same school as Isabella._

"_What has he told you?"_

"_Apparently Isabella is constantly introducing herself with her full name."_

She remembered staring at her friend wondering what the problem was, her daughter introducing herself with her full name was the right thing to do wasn't it? Anthropologically speaking.

"_I don't know what that means, isn't that what she should do?"_

"_Brennan, she is telling everyone to call her Isabella Lauren Brennan-Booth and if they don't she screams at them and stamps her foot. Apparently the older kids are copying her in the playground and they've been teasing her."_

"_Oh,"_

"_I thought you should know." _

She remembers very little of the rest of the conversation, very little of the rest of the day except for the part where she called Booth and told him that she'd be collecting Isabella from school that day. She doesn't remember his response, but she does remember sitting the little girl down on the floor once they were at home, both cross-legged.

_She smiled towards the beautiful child who sat opposite her, a child with perfect dark hair and sparkling blue eyes, a child who at her six years of age could spell better than her classmates and was adept at reading people._

"_Mommy are you okay?" the little girl asked with a concerned expression, proving her talents to her mother once again._

_She gave her daughter a smile before taking hold of her little hands, squeezing them tightly. "Of course I'm okay."_

"_I thought Daddy was picking me up today?" she questioned, her head tilting to the side._

"_He was," _

"_Mommy?"_

"_Yes Isabella,"_

"_I'm confused."_

_She laughed, "I wanted to talk to you about something."_

She can remember Isabella's little nod, the way her head turned to the side, exactly what people said Brennan did and still does to this day.

"_I thought we could play a little game."_

"_I love games Mommy." Isabella answered as she leapt to her feet._

"_I know you do. Now this game is about introductions. As your father and I have taught you first impressions are important, so I want you to pretend you don't know me and introduce yourself to me."_

"_Okay, my name is Isabella Lauren Brennan-Booth." The little girl said confidently, "I am six." She added as she thrust out her hand for her mother to shake._

_There it was, the four names, Angela and Benjamin were right, she sighed as she shook her daughter's hand. She stared towards her daughter, honestly she couldn't see the problem with the four names, but if there were other children teasing her daughter then something had to be done. "Isabella," she began, "Why are you telling everyone your whole name, you know you could just be Isabella Booth."_

_She watched as her daughter's face scrunched up, before she stamped her foot into the plush carpet._

"_No." Isabella replied, her bottom lip protruding out from her small face. "I don't like that."_

_Brennan was now confused, six was a little young for her daughter to hate her own name, surely that came in the teenage years. "Why?"_

"_Cause, cause .." Isabella began as she sat back down, "It's not your name as well Mommy."_

_Still Brennan was confused, she resisted the urge to voice her confusion, so instead she proposed an alternative solution, "Okay so then you could be Isabella Brennan."_

"_No." Isabella replied again, her face still pouting, "Cause then there's no Daddy."_

"_Oh," Brennan replied, finally she understood._

"_You are my Mommy and you're a Brennan and then Daddy is a Booth and I'm a Brennan-Booth, we aren't the same and Parker," Isabella began before a lone tear escaped her tiny eyes._

"_Parker's what?"_

"_He's just a Booth like Daddy." Isabella explained through a little sob, her voice hiccupping on the final word._

"_What if I was a Brennan-Booth too?" Brennan questioned, she'd never seen marriage as important, to her it was an antiquated ritual, Booth taking her as a possession but to her small daughter it seemed that the sharing of names was something important, something that meant she belonged to someone. Brennan had spent most of her life feeling as if she didn't belong, she didn't want to pass that onto her only child._

"_Really Mommy?" Isabella asked, her eyes brightening a huge smile crossing her face._

She almost laughed as she remembered the moment she had finally agreed to marry her husband of now twenty-two years, it had been over dinner with Angela and Hodgins. Hodgins had as usual been pressing the two of them about the subject of marriage given that they had been dating for the past eight years and had a six-year-old child. Booth had been the first to reply, saying that it had been discussed but wasn't happening, that he knew he loved his partner and that she loved him but marriage simply wasn't on the cards for the two of them. His face had gone a strange shade of red when she had piped up saying that she had changed her mind, they had been married within the month, two weeks before Christmas and Temperance Brennan had become a Brennan-Booth and Isabella had become just a Booth, happy in the knowledge that she belonged both to her mother and her father.

[-]

"Bones," Booth said as he waved his hands in front of her face, interrupting her train of thought, "Earth to Bones, do we need any more apples?"

She shook her head and she returned back to the present, her husband was staring at her with a suspicious look on his face. "What did you say?" she asked.

"Apples," he said, holding up the fruit towards her.

"Yes Seeley we need apples, who knows how many slices of pie, your children and grandchildren will eat tomorrow and that's not even counting your slices. If last Christmas is any indication we should purchase two bags. I'm quite certain that they wont be wasted."

He laughed a deep throaty laugh, one that made her feel happy inside as he placed one of his hands on top of hers and helped her push the trolley down the busy aisles of the grocery store.

_So there we have it, part one of the dream. In a coincidence I wrote this chapter before The Doctor in the Photo and had already called Brennan and Booth's daughter Isabella Lauren and I was going to change her name but decided that I didn't want to, Isabella Lauren Brennan-Booth has a nice ring to it. _

_Part two of the dream will be updated soon cause it is Christmas themed. _


	9. Dream Part Two

_So here is the continuation of Brennan's dream, it picks up the next day after the previous chapter but it is still all happening whilst she is sleeping!_

_Thanks once again to my reviewers and the people who have alerted me, with special thanks to MaliBearsBuddy._

_Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!_

_As always nothing is mine._

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Nine: Dream – Part Two**

"Grangran, Pops where are you?" Two small voices called as they bounded through the house, their small feet echoing on the wooden floor beneath them, "It's Christmas."

She looked up from the mountain of apples that she was cutting as her two grandchildren bounded into the kitchen; their blonde curls bouncing around their adorable faces.

"Grangran," the oldest little boy said, happiness crossing his face, his arms wrapping around her tightly, "You're making pie."

"Indeed I am Mitchell. I hope you are hungry."

"We are very hungry Grangran," the youngest boy piped up, also throwing his arms around her.

"Boys," called a female voice as she breezed into the kitchen, "I sure hope you aren't annoying Temperance,"

She smiled at her daughter in law, disentangling herself from her grandsons as they raced back towards their mother, "They could never annoy me Kate," she said with another smile as she kissed Kate on the cheek.

"See Mom, we told you," the oldest boy said as he high fived his little brother, "We are exceptionally awesome."

Brennan laughed as the two boys began to wrestle one another for who was exactly the most awesome.

"Mitchell and Max that is quite enough for today," called another familiar voice as Parker entered the kitchen, his arms laden with presents and what looked like an appetising desert.

"But Dad," the two boys said together their mouths pouting, "It's Christmas."

"And have you said Merry Christmas to your Grangran?" Parker asked as he placed everything down on the table before hugging Brennan tightly.

The two boys looked sheepish, before they smiled cheekily, "Merry Christmas Grangran,"

"Merry Christmas Mitchell and Merry Christmas to you Max," Brennan said as she left the apple cutting and squatted ready for the double hug which was soon thrust her way, she ruffled the youngest boys curls and then dropped a kiss on each of their cheeks.

"Now what is all this noise?"

"Pops," two small voices screeched together as they left her arms and raced over towards Seeley who had entered the room.

"Boys," he said as he high fived the both of them, "Are we ready for a fun day today?"

Max looked towards his brother eagerly and as Mitchell nodded, Max copied, both of them then jumping on their toes in anticipation.

"Dad," Parker began as he thumped his father on the shoulder, "What have you been planning?"

"Nothing son, nothing." Seeley explained as he leant over to kiss his daughter in law, "I'll tell you when we are away from the women folk."

"Seeley Booth that is incredibly sexiest, this leads me to ascertain that you have planned something quite inappropriate for your grandsons to do today." Brennan said warningly.

"Something dangerous no doubt." Kate added as she wriggled her finger towards the four now sheepish looking males.

"Cool." Mitchell said, "Come on Pops let's go."

"Booth," Brennan called warningly as she watched the four of them leave the room, reverting to the former name she had once called her husband.

Four pairs of eyes turned back to look at her and one voice answered her, the youngest voice, "Grangran we are all Booth's," Max said innocently, "Which one?"

The Booth whose attention she had been seeking laughed loudly, "See that's why you now call me Seeley,"

"I guess it is, that and book reviewers thinking that your name was Booth Booth," Brennan replied as she made her way over to her husband, "Now you take care of these three. I am making a huge pie and someone has to be around to eat it, I am certainly not giving it to Kipling," she told him firmly, kissing him softly. Hearing his name and as if on cue the dog bounded into the room leaping onto the children and sniffing at them excitedly sensing that something fun was about to happen. "Please take him with you," Brennan added as she watched the four of them leave the room, leaving her and her daughter in law alone in the kitchen.

"They are very excited this year," Brennan began as she returned to the apple cutting once more, each piece adding to the ever-increasing pile.

"I know," Kate replied as she smiled towards her mother in law, "We've been counting down the days from 50, I think Max nearly fainted today when he realised that it was finally here."

Brennan smiled, her head tilting to the side, "His namesake was always fond of Christmas himself," remembering her Dad and the love he had for the holiday season.

Kate smiled back, "Parker told me about some of the Christmases he spent with your dad, he really loved them. I think he learnt quite a bit from him."

"Yes, there was that one time that they made an exploding cracker that really did explode," a new voice answered from the doorway, "I remember jumping six feet into the air, so did you Mom."

"Isabella," Brennan said with a huge smile, turning to see her daughter smiling towards the two of them, a small bundle swathed in her arms.

"Hi Mom, Kate, Merry Christmas,"

"Merry Christmas," Brennan replied as she left the apples and walked quickly over to her daughter, kissing her on the cheek and lifting the small bundle from her arms, "Merry first Christmas to you gorgeous girl," she whispered as she lifted the blanket from over her granddaughter's head.

"Oh Issy," Kate cooed as she peeped over Brennan's shoulder, "She's so beautiful."

"She takes after me, it's a Thomas thing" called another voice from the doorway, as Brennan's son in law Miles wandered into the room, almost a mirror image of what Parker had been when he entered the room a little while ago, his arms laden with presents and food.

"She looks like a Booth to me Miles," Seeley answered as he returned to the kitchen, his shirt slightly dirtier than what it had been only a few moments ago.

Miles laughed as he shook his father in law's hand warmly, "I sense I am not going to win here,"

Seeley laughed as he walked over to his daughter, wrapping his arms around her, "Have I ever told you that you get more beautiful every time I see you?"

"Yes Dad you have and the way I am feeling now that is exactly what I needed to hear," Isabella answered from within her father's arms. "Your granddaughter has an amazing set of lungs and she isn't afraid to use them."

"She takes after her mother then." Parker said with a laugh as he re-entered the room, followed by his two sons, who had smudges of what looked like car oil on their cheeks.

"Hey now, that isn't fair." Isabella protested as she left her father's arms and headed over to her brother, punching him roughly on the shoulder.

"Little sis, you could yell for hours, I remember," Parker replied knowledgably, as he threw one of his arms over her shoulders, punching her back.

Brennan looked down as she felt someone pulling on the seam of her shirt, it was a smiling Max, "Grangran, can I see the baby?" he asked quietly.

"Of course you can," she answered, squatting on to her haunches, she couldn't help but smile, as little Max's face lit up, even his eyes seemed to smile.

"Hi Lauren, remember me, I'm your cousin Max," the little boy whispered, "and guess what, it's Christmas today and my Mommy and Daddy and my big brother Mitchell and me have bought you a present, I think it might be clothes," he added at the end, as he poked out his tongue at the thought, "But I got some toys from Santa, you can play with them."

"I think she's a bit too young for your toys just yet Bub," Parker answered his son, ruffling at his hair.

"Next year she'll want to play with you for sure sweetie," Isabella added, coming over to her nephew and hugging him.

"Okay Aunty Issy," Max replied as he hugged his aunt tightly, smiling out towards his father and mother.

"So boys," Brennan began, "I am sure that your Pops has many other activities planned for you," she added as she stood back upright, as her granddaughter opened her small blue eyes and stared intently at her.

"Is this something I can join in on?" Miles questioned as he left all that he had carried inside on the table and went over to join his brother in law and father in law.

"Of course you can join in son," Seeley answered, "I've got plenty organised," he added with a smile, "I've added a new motor to Parker's first pedal car, care to try it out Miles?" he asked, slapping his son in law on the shoulder with an open hand.

"You bet," Miles answered excitedly, "although the snow might prove to be a challenge."

"I think that is supposed to be part of the fun," Parker explained, "Right Dad?"

Seeley nodded, before he questioned, "Men are you ready?" Miles and Parker nodded, "Boys are you ready?"

"You bet Pops," Mitchell answered for himself and his brother as the two of them began to jump on one leg once more.

Brennan watched as the now five males began to walk from the room, "Now you boys be very careful," she called after them, "You know that I will know exactly which bone you have broken before you do,"

"That's because you are the bone lady," Max said as he turned back towards her, leaving the rest of them to continue to the garage, "That's why Pops calls you 'Bones' Grangran," he told her as he disappeared from sight, joining his grandfather, father, brother and uncle.

Brennan smiled once more, it always amazed her how much love she could feel for her grandchildren and as she turned her attention back to her daughter and daughter in law, she realised how truly blessed she was to have such a beautiful family. She leant down towards the gurgling baby and placed a small kiss on her forehead, "You will always be loved, my sweet sweet granddaughter, Lauren Temperance Thomas."

[-]

Later that night after lunch had been eaten, presents had been exchanged and dinner had been picked at, Temperance Brennan-Booth stood in the doorway of her lounge room. She watched the two small boys who were both sound asleep in the middle of the floor, their faces marked with dirt and the remainder of mud that they had discovered when the pedal car had hit one of her flowerbeds that had been covered with snow. Despite their mother's best efforts both boys had refused to wash their faces, claiming that it was still Christmas and that the mud showed that they had had a great day.

She looked towards the other people in the room, Parker and Kate were on one sofa, Parker with his arms wrapped tightly around his wife as he stared at the television. Brennan could see that Kate was almost asleep herself, her breathing was slowing and her eyes flickered open and closed with every breath. Opposite Parker and Kate were Miles and her precious daughter Isabella, Isabella had been asleep longer than anyone else, she'd barely been able to keep her eyes open whilst they had all been exchanging presents. Brennan smiled as Miles dropped a kiss into Isabella's hairline, she knew her daughter was exhausted but at least she had found a good man to take care of her, a man that had never hurt her, a man who Brennan was happy to call her son in law.

Finally she looked towards the last person in the room, he was half curled up in his favourite worn armchair, the same armchair that she had been carefully encouraging him to replace for the last three years, but Seeley Booth was nothing if not stubborn, he'd blamed this on his wife over the years, that he had inherited her strength of stubbornness. He turned as she stepped into the room, smiling at her warmly as he patted his lap, she smiled as she slid onto his knees and his arms wrapped around her, one of his hands taking hers tightly.

She leant up to kiss him on the cheek as he whispered, "Today was an amazing day Bones, that pie was delicious."

"Indeed it was, the day of course. I cannot make any comment about the pie." Brennan whispered back as she pressed her forehead against his before she tucked her head in and underneath his jaw.

Booth laughed and then whispered, "I love you Bones," before he kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too my Seeley," she whispered back to him, snuggling into his familiar body, allowing her eyes to close.

_So there we have the dream life, don't worry though this dream is the theme of the story so it will of course be revisited. I hope that you enjoyed it, Merry Christmas!_


	10. That Simple

_So here we are back in the hospital once more, we have left the dream world for now. The first part is just to remind you of where we left off in the __*real* world._

_Thanks once again to the reviewers and to my special twitter friends, you know who you are, you entertain me greatly._

_As always nothing is mine, enjoy._

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Ten: That Simple**

_"Where am I?" Brennan asked once more, nothing made sense to her, everything was a muddle, her head hurt._

_"George Washington hospital." Booth managed to reply, his eyes staring into hers, Bones' pupils were dilated and she looked scared and Bones wasn't often scared, this made him terrified._

_"Hospital," Brennan repeated, nothing made sense, "I don't understand, it felt so real, it has to have been real," she said as her eyes fluttered closed, she was so confused._

_Booth watched as Bones' eyes closed once more, he slumped back into the chair, his hand shaking in hers, this all felt like a terrible sense of déjà vu, that the two of them had been here before, but that he had been the one in the bed, confused and unable to process what had been happening to him._

_"It has to have been real." Brennan whispered as she slipped back into an uneasy sleep, "It just has to have been._

[-]

His hand held the cell phone tightly, he'd promised he would call Angela as soon as Bones woke up and technically she had woken up. But she was so confused and she seemed scared, she'd been awake for moments before she had fallen asleep once more. He went to dial the number but stopped, he didn't want Angela here at this precise moment, he knew Angela and he knew that she would immediately jump to conclusions about the whole '_My Seeley_,' dilemma and Booth didn't need Angela's conclusions crowding his own head, he already had enough of his own. It wasn't the calling him Seeley that was troubling him but the '_my_,' that one preposition troubled him. He set the cell phone back down on the table, he took her hand and stared at Bones intently, wishing her to wake up once more and talk to him like the woman he knew.

[-]

Her head hurt, she felt groggy, her leg ached and everything smelt wrong. She couldn't smell the smells of Maluku, the smell of the sea, of plants of animals and of sweat. This smelt of saline and of antibacterial spray. Her eyes began to open and a room she had never been in greeted her, her eyes took in her surroundings, there was an army rucksack sitting in the corner. She wasn't with an extended family celebrating Christmas and she wasn't in Maluku, it all seemed so confusing. She went to move her hand and found that it was being held onto.

[-]

An hour had past, he had fallen back into a listless sleep, his eyes opening at each and every sound. It wasn't until he felt movement against his hand that he realised she was awake once more.

She moved her head slowly, to look to where her hand was being held.

"Bones, you're awake?" he questioned, taking in her facial expressions carefully, looking for answers.

"Booth, is that you?" she asked, her eyelids flickering taking in everything around her, "Where am I? What are you doing here?"

Booth smiled, a half smile, she didn't remember waking up before, "Yes, it's me," he answered, helping her as she tried to sit up, "You are in hospital,"

She rubbed at her face, as he helped her to sit, pulling the pillows around to make her comfortable, "Hospital?" she repeated.

"George Washington," Booth answered, "You are home,"

"What happened?" she questioned, she was confused, she couldn't remember anything familiar, only vague thoughts, Daisy talking, Daisy being with her, children smiling, two little boys hugging her tightly and her hands cutting apples diligently.

"You got injured," Booth answered her quietly, "Do you remember falling?"

"I don't know Booth," Brennan replied, her eyes seeking out the comfort of his, something familiar, something that she knew, something she could cling onto and make everything else fall into place, "This all seems so strange,"

"Bones," he said gently, pressing his hand over hers, "What is the last thing you remember?"

She closed her eyes, "I remember talking to Miss Wick, but I don't know where, I don't know what about. My head, it's dark, dark until just now," she replied, omitting the alternative life she had dreamed of, lying to Booth for one of the first times. She had no idea what had been happening inside her head, she needed to process it all first before she could even begin to explain it to him, if she was ever to explain it to him.

"You were stung by something," Booth explained as Bones opened her eyes once more, "Angela told me what it was when she came to meet me, but I can't remember exactly what she said,"

"Angela was here? Is she back too?"

Booth nodded as he continued, "You were okay at first, just a swollen leg, but then you fell unconscious and you were transferred home for specialist medical treatment,"

Brennan nodded, she remembered nothing of the things Booth was telling her, all she could see when she closed her eyes was the blue eyes of their shared granddaughter. She shook her head, it was time for her to think like herself, "Booth what day is it today?"

"Thursday Bones, very early Thursday morning,"

"Thursday," she repeated, she rubbed at her eyes as she tried to think through the muddle that was her brain, her flight home had been booked for a Wednesday and suddenly things started to make sense. "How long have you been here for?" she asked, taking in his appearance, he was still fully clothed in his army fatigues just as he had been when they had separated, all those many months ago.

"I came home yesterday like I told you I would," Booth answered, "You did get my letter?"

Brennan nodded, she remembered that at least, she remembered deciding to stay the week longer in Maluku. "We were supposed to meet by the coffee cart," she said quietly.

"Yes," Booth replied a sense of excitement in his voice, she was remembering, other than her confusion earlier on she seemed like the Bones he knew.

"I wasn't there,"

"Stating the obvious there Bones," he replied with a laugh, he watched as her nose wrinkled, "It's okay Angela was,"

"So that was yesterday?"

"Yes Bones," Booth answered, giving her hand another squeeze, trying to reassure her and him at the same time.

"So how long have I been here?"

"Since Monday afternoon I believe, but you'd have to ask Cam and Angela to be certain. Angela might have told me but I could have forgotten in the rush to get here," Booth explained as he watched Bones' eyes grow wide, he felt her hand tense beneath his, "Bones are you alright? Do you need the doctor?"

Brennan was confused, but she could see that she was worrying him, so she managed to answer him, "No Booth, it's alright, I'm okay. I'm just a little confused."

Booth nodded, "That's understandable. You've been sedated, I know what that's like, you'll feel better soon." He said reassuringly, as he watched her try and hide her confusion from him.

Brennan smiled a lopsided smile, she wasn't sure if she was smiling for him, to show that she believed him or that she was smiling to convince herself that everything was okay.

Booth returned her smile, before asking her, "Angela wanted to know as soon as you were awake, will you be okay if I just go out into the corridor to call her?"

Brennan nodded, "I'll be fine Booth. Are you sure you should be calling this early in the morning?"

Booth laughed, "Angela made me promise as soon as you were awake I had to call," he told her as he released her hand and stood from beside the bed, he had already broken that promise technically, but as Bones didn't seem to remember the first wake up it seemed logical that he wouldn't have to tell Angela either. He smiled down towards her and kissed her on the forehead.

[-]

She smiled at him as he headed for the door, her left hand brushing against her forehead where his lips had gently pressed only seconds before. That small gesture made her feel as if this was perhaps the dream and what she had experienced for the past days were the life she was living. She shook her head and watched as he left the room, his cell phone held tightly in his hands. She sighed as she pulled herself upright, her leg pinching against the cotton restraints which had held her still. From the angle at which her leg had been wrapped she could tell that she had been injured just above the talus bone. She turned her head to the side and she could see a familiar bag lying on the table next to her, she reached for it carefully. As soon as she managed to get it onto her lap she began to rummage through the contents before she found what she was looking for, her diary. Carefully she balanced it on her lap and shifted through the pages, until she found the pages she wanted to see. Whilst in Maluku she had taken to folding down the pages of each day to mark the number she had spent there and the number she had left. She had also formed the habit of noting pertinent information down at the end of each day. Booth had told her that today was Thursday, the day _after _the two of them were supposed to meet, nothing had been written since the previous Saturday night, she closed her eyes and tried to remember Sunday.

[-]

Brennan sat there for a few moments and nothing of Sunday appeared, all she could see when she closed her eyes were the smiling faces of her extended family gathering around her in the kitchen, discussing pie, apple pie nonetheless. She shook her head violently; her diary in front of her proved that that life had all been just a dream. A simple way of her brain taking her somewhere comforting when she was injured, somewhere where she could gather strength to help her recover. Only three members of that extended family existed, Parker, herself and the man she could see through the window. Parker was still a child, she still in her thirties and as she stared intently to where Booth was talking animatedly into his cell, she could see that he had all of his hair, he had had no knee reconstruction that she knew of and he certainly wasn't hers.

Abruptly she felt wistful, like this thought wasn't a new one that it was a thought she had had before. It was then that a piece of Sunday appeared, Daisy chattering away, blabbering on about going home, confused about her relationship with Sweets. Daisy asking Brennan for advice, Daisy asking if Brennan was excited to go home, excited to see Booth once more. It was at the mention of his name that Brennan had lost her concentration, her hiking shoes had lost their grip on the jagged rocks below her and she had slipped. There had been pain above her talus and near the anterior talo fibular ligament and it had hurt, it had been a searing pain, it had felt as if she was on fire. She could now remember Daisy helping her back to her tent, Daisy laying her down on her camp bed before her screeching voice called for one of the Australian anthropologists who they had come to know quite well. She could remember people milling around her and then she'd felt cold and then warm and then cold again and then everything had gone blank.

It was blank until she woke up in an alternative life, one where she was older than the age her mother ever reached, one where there were children and grandchildren. Then as fast as it had been made a dream in her head the entire thing disappeared and she had woken up here, feeling like she was back in the past. Irrationally she did something that she had seen Booth do in the days that he had thought she was his wife and they owned a nightclub, she pinched herself. She flinched immediately, it hurt. What was it that Booth said that proved? That if it hurt, you were awake? That had hurt, Temperance Brennan was awake, her dream life was just her unconscious brain processing the myriad of drugs that she could feel she had been pumped with. She sighed as she put her diary away, she was simply back home, her year in Maluku was over, and she was back in Washington as was he, it was that simple.

_But as we all know, nothing with Booth and Brennan is ever that simple! Next time Angela is back again and there is a surprise hospital visitor!_


	11. Visitors

_Thanks once again to all the reviewers, you still make me very happy! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter!_

_This one is for my twitter friends especially MaliBearsBuddy and gocubsgo1717, you are indeed very entertaining. Who really needs sleep anyway?_

_As always it isn't mine, I'm just borrowing them for my and hopefully your amusement._

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Eleven: Visitors**

He moved the cell away from his ear as Angela screeched down the line, he had heard Hodgins groan and then Angela had told Booth that she was on her way, she would be there soon.

He turned back to look towards Bones, she had pulled herself up in the bed once more and he felt an instant wave of worry as she flinched. He watched as she pressed one of her hands over her forearm as if in a reaction to being pinched by something. It was then that Booth knew what she had done, Bones had pinched herself, she had done what he had done when he was trying to work out if he was still dreaming. Bones had certainly been dreaming whilst she had been in hospital, she had been dreaming of something that had made her smile and something that made her call him 'my Seeley'. He studied her intently as all of a sudden her face became calm, as if she was now able to calm herself instantly and anything that she may have been thinking about was gone for now, it had been compartmentalised and Booth would struggle to find out what she had ever dreamt of.

[-]

Brennan watched as Booth entered the room once again and sat down next to her, "So," he began, "Angela and Hodgins will be here soon."

"Okay," she replied, staring back at the man who sat next to her, taking in his appearance, recognising the changes that he had undergone in the past year. He certainly wasn't as old as the man she had dreamed of, but there was a noticeable difference to his face, he looked tired, he looked withdrawn, like a little piece of him had died when James did. He'd told her once a very long time ago that every single time someone died a little piece of others died too, as soon as she felt she was able, she was going to have to talk to him about what had happened. But first she was going to have to sort out reality from fiction in her own mind, starting with where her dream had come from.

Booth watched as Bones' face studied him, her left eye crinkled as if she was trying to solve an unsolvable riddle inside her head.

"Booth," she began before she paused, did she really want to ask him this question? Would this give away what she was trying to compartmentalise? "Can I ask you something?"

Booth nodded, as he prepared himself, he never knew what Bones was going to ask at any given time, "Sure Bones,"

Brennan took a deep breath, before she spoke quickly, "Did anyone read me anything whilst I was sleeping?"

"Read you anything?" Booth repeated, before he realised what she was actually asking him, he had been correct in his estimation that she had been dreaming of something, something that by his calculations must have involved him.

Brennan looked at him expectantly, watched as his face turned confused, before realisation seemed to dawn upon him, instantly Brennan felt worried, she had gone to far, she needed to change the subject, she needed to forget what she had dreamed and by the look on Booth's face, the sooner the better.

"Not that I know of," Booth replied honestly, he knew he hadn't read anything to her, unless by accident he had read Angela's magazines to her. "We spoke to you though."

Brennan nodded, this was not the same situation he had been in, after all she had made that dream world, she had written all of those words of marriage and pregnancy and it seemed this time that she had done the same thing, suddenly her head was a muddle once again. "Thank you," she managed to say back to him.

He looked at her confused, "You don't need to thank me Bones, you're my partner remember," he said with a smile. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked concernedly, he wanted to ask her about what she had said when she had woken, but he didn't want to scare her, he didn't want to pressure her.

Brennan paused, before answering, "I would very much like to speak with the doctor that wrapped my lower extremities, I believe that they could have completed the task a little more efficiently by strapping the last piece of gauze about here," she said as she pointed towards the bandages, her mind retreating back in to its rational state, she needed to pull herself together.

Booth stifled a laugh, "You want me to find a doctor so that you can lecture them on the correct way to do their job?" he asked.

Brennan nodded once more, "I can feel that there is insufficient pressure on the talus to prevent further swelling and I would prefer to leave this hospital sooner rather than later. It has after all been quite a long period of time since I was at my own home."

"Do you think you can wait to lecture someone until Angela and Hodgins arrive?" Booth asked, as he watched her try and lie back down.

Brennan nodded, as she tried desperately to get comfortable once more, all of a sudden she felt exhausted as if she hadn't slept in days, even though she knew that to be certainly not the case, "That would be fine Booth," she answered him with a small wince.

"Here," Booth began as he rose from the chair and helped her settle back down, he slipped one pillow down behind her back and she sighed with relief.

"Thanks," Brennan said, "Did Angela say how long she would be?" she asked, trying to stifle out a yawn.

"Only that she would be here soon," Booth replied, as he sat back down, he could see that she was tiring. He was happy that she had stayed awake this long, especially after her previous attempt at waking up.

"It seems," Brennan began, as the yawn escaped her lips, "that I am still under the influence of medication. I feel that I am falling asleep once again."

Booth watched as Bones closed her eyes once more, he reached out and took her hand, shaking it softly, watching as her eyes opened lazily, "If you don't wake up for Angela she is going to kill me," he told her with a serious tone.

Brennan laughed, "If she does I'd still be able to work out how the murder was committed. She wouldn't get away with it."

Booth pouted, "Wouldn't you prefer me alive?" he questioned hopefully.

Brennan laughed again, before whispering as her eyes closed, "Of course."

Booth smiled to himself as he watched Bones closely, "Thank you," he replied.

"You're welcome Booth." Brennan replied with her eyes still closed.

[-]

"Sweetie, you'd better not be asleep again,"

Booth turned as he heard the familiar voice, "Angela, how fast did you drive?" he looked up once more at the clock on the wall, she had only taken ten minutes to get to the hospital from the Hodgins estate which was at least a twenty minute drive.

Angela smiled and wrinkled her nose, "You know I'd prefer not to answer that question on the grounds that I may incriminate myself."

"I do have some very fast cars." Hodgins added as he entered the room along with his wife.

Booth shook his head, "I don't want to know. I'll be keeping my computer away from you though, I'm not erasing any speeding fines."

"I was eager to see my best friend."

Brennan could hear new voices, she opened her eyes slightly, hoping she would recognise where she was this time, and luckily she did. "Angela," she said happily.

"Sweetie," Angela answered excitedly, scooping as much of Brennan as she could into her arms, squeezing tightly, "I've been so worried about you."

"Did you not pay attention to those cards I gave you?" Hodgins asked.

"I believe this was accidental." Brennan answered, "I seem to remember slipping on something whilst talking to Miss Wick."

"Trust Daisy to be involved," Hodgins said with a small laugh.

"Enough talk about accidents," Angela interjected, "I am in desperate need of Angela and Bren time," she added with a smile, beaming towards Brennan.

Booth looked at Hodgins and Hodgins looked back at him, "Somehow I think we are being given the heave ho by your lovely wife." Booth said with a smile.

"Don't take it too personally Studly, you've had her to talk to all night, now it's my turn. We have much to discuss." Angela told Booth with a laugh and another wrinkle of her nose, as she flicked her hands at him, telling him to move from the chair in which he was sitting.

"I do believe that she was asleep for most of the time," Booth added as he gave in to Angela and her hand movements and stood from the chair in which he had been sitting.

"You know Booth," Brennan said as she watched him stand and move next to Hodgins, "You could tag up one of those doctors."

Booth laughed, "Chase up, it's chase up Bones."

"Okay, chase up then." Brennan repeated, "I would appreciate speaking with one of them."

"I'll go and find someone now," Booth replied as he watched Angela sit down immediately and start speaking animatedly towards Bones. He smiled as Bones stretched and blinked her eyes, in an attempt to appear more awake than she actually was. He excused himself from the room, joining Hodgins who had already made his way into the still darkened hospital corridor. "It seems your wife has plenty to say," Booth joked as the two of them began walking away towards the nurse's station.

"She's missed Dr B terribly," Hodgins explained, "She was constantly waiting for emails and letters in the last few weeks. I think she wanted to make sure that Brennan was actually going to come home." Booth frowned, suddenly perplexed, "I wouldn't worry big guy," Hodgins said quickly, noticing Booth's facial expression, "I think Angela was just being overly sensitive, worrying that Brennan would actually find some evolutionary evidence and that she'd be away for another year. I don't think Angela would have liked that at all,"

Booth shook his head, he certainly wouldn't have liked that either, he certainly wouldn't have been able to survive another year in Afghanistan and after all their years of working together it would have been strange to solve murder without Bones, "Did they actually find anything?" he asked, suddenly interested.

"Nothing of major scientific significance," Hodgins began to explain, "there were a few close calls, but nothing that is going to warrant a return trip."

Booth sighed and let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding, before he turned to look at Hodgins, "So," Booth began, "How was Paris?"

"Pretty amazing," Hodgins answered with a smile, "I'd always wanted to go with an artist and after all we were on our honeymoon."

"Okay, wow. No need for details." Booth replied quickly.

Hodgins laughed, "Sorry man, unfair of me to share details like that with a man who has been in the desert for the past year."

"Exactly," Booth said with another nod of his head, before he changed the topic, "I guess we'd better find a doctor for Bones."

"Indeed," Hodgins answered as they rounded the final corner towards the nurse's station, "Who's day do we want to get off to a cracking start?"

Booth laughed, "Be nice Hodgins," he began before his attention was drawn to a familiar face that had appeared in the opening elevator doors. This face was older and certainly belonged to someone who had certainly grown up in the last year, but there was no denying as to who this person was.

"Dad!" called Parker Booth as he ran from the elevator and threw himself into his father's outstretched arms, "I missed you."

"I missed you too Bub," Booth replied as he ran his hands through his son's hair, not quite believing that he was actually holding his son once more. "How did you get here? It is before 6am son." Booth questioned, "How did you know I was here?"

"I brought him of course Seeley," Rebecca answered, as she appeared from behind Parker, "You were supposed to call when you landed," she reminded, "You didn't."

"Oh," was the only reply Booth could think to make.

"We were worried Dad." Parker answered from his father's arms.

"I'm so sorry Bub," Booth said honestly, immediately feeling the all too familiar feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach, "Sorry Bec," he added as he turned his attention to the mother of his son, "Honestly I meant to call you as soon as I got back, but I found out about Bones and…"

"Blame us," Hodgins said entering the conversation and interrupting Booth, "Angela found him and brought him straight here."

"Don't worry," Rebecca said, her voice still strained with annoyance, "we know what happened."

"You do?" Booth questioned.

"Yes," Rebecca said before continuing, her voice levelling out to normal, "When we hadn't heard from you I tried to call Doctor Brennan but of course there was no answer. I then tried the Jeffersonian; Doctor Saroyan has her cell on the lab's extension. I called her this morning early and she told me what had happened to Doctor Brennan and Parker of course overheard and when he knew that Doctor Brennan was in hospital he refused to go back to sleep or even consider going to school today until he'd seen her." Rebecca said with a smirk towards her son, "He also knew that you'd be here."

"Duh Mom, of course Dad would be here. Bones is hurt, Dad is her friend." Parker explained as if his mother was silly to even consider his father being anywhere else. "I did want to see you too Dad." Parker added solemnly, "I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Booth looked down at his son and smiled, "I'm okay now that I'm with you."

"Is Bones okay?" Parker asked his voice still solemn, "Can I talk to her?" he questioned.

"She's fine," Hodgins answered for Booth, "Angela is with her at the moment."

"Angela's here?" Parker questioned, "Oh cool," he added excitedly, as Hodgins nodded, "Do you think she has any of those face paints with her?"

"I sure hope not," Rebecca said chiming in with a smile, "it took me four days to get his face completely cleaned last year."

Hodgins laughed, "Fortunately for you Rebecca and unfortunately for you Parker, Angela is paint free."

Parker pouted, "But I can still see Bones right?"

"Of course you can." Hodgins answered.

"Dad?" Parker questioned hopefully, noticing the concerned look on his father's face.

"Yes," Booth answered, "but you'll have to be quiet and careful okay, this is a hospital remember."

Parker smiled, "Okay Dad," he added with a sing song in his voice.

"You take them to Dr B," Hodgins suggested, "I'll go and make someone's day," he added with a smile as he continued on down the corridor, leaving Booth with Parker and Rebecca.

"What is he on about?" Rebecca questioned.

"Bones wants to see the doctor that bandaged her leg, she isn't happy with the placement of the gauze," Booth explained as he took Parker's hand and began to lead the two of them back towards Bones and Angela.

"Lucky doctor," Rebecca said with a smile, she knew enough about Temperance Brennan to immediately know that the doctor was in for an early morning lecture. Booth smiled as they reached Brennan's room, stopping in the doorway. "When did she wake up Seeley?" Rebecca questioned.

"About an hour ago," Booth explained, "She's still pretty tired though. I am sure she's been trying hard to keep up with Angela's conversation," he added as he watched Bones nod every few moments.

Parker listened intently as his parents discussed Bones, he sighed, adults could be so boring at times. He let go of his father's hand and raced into the room, throwing himself albeit very carefully into the arms of the woman in the bed.

"Bones, I missed you." Parker said warmly, squeezing his arms around Brennan tightly. "Are you okay?" he asked sincerely, "Did you get hurt cause my Dad wasn't with you?" he added, his eyes wide with worry.

_Okay so I know that's another mean place to leave you, but I promise more Parker goodness in the next chapter and that I can promise because I've written it already!_


	12. Baby Booth

_This one is for the #TwitterFam, you entertain me from miles away, you keep me sane and motivated and most importantly you make me laugh! I hope you enjoy it!_

_I don't own anything, I'm still just borrowing. Also some of the dialogue you may recognise, I've just borrowed that too!_

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Twelve: Baby Booth**

Brennan watched Booth leave with Hodgins from the corner of her eye, she watched as he immediately began to speak to the other man. She could hear that Angela was speaking, but the words weren't entering her head as words, they just sounded like noise. It wasn't until Angela took hold of Brennan's hand and squeezed it tightly.

Angela could see that Brennan wasn't paying attention and that she had zoned out, so she took her friends hand and squeezed, "Sweetie," she began as Brennan turned to look at her, "can I get some attention over here?"

"Oh," Brennan replied, "Yes Angela, you can. It is very good to see you, because you are my best friend and I love you like a sister. I assume not having an actual sister to use as a control."

Angela laughed, "Oh sweetie I missed you."

"I missed you too Angela." Brennan replied truthfully, she had missed her best friend a great deal in the year that she had been away, they'd exchanged letters and emails but of course it hadn't been the same.

"How are you feeling?" Angela asked concernedly, "I was so worried."

"I'm fine," Brennan answered, as she tried to make herself comfortable in the bed once more. "My ankle is still substantially larger than what it should be, but I am confident that the swelling will subside soon enough."

Angela smiled, "I am glad you are awake, I didn't enjoy having one-sided conversations."

Brennan sighed, that she could understand. She remembered all the one-sided conversations that she had with Booth whilst he was in hospital. "Thank you for meeting Booth Angela," Brennan added with a smile, "I am glad you were there when I couldn't be."

Angela nodded, "That's okay sweetie, I'm your friend remember."

Brennan smiled, "Indeed you are,"

Angela smiled back, "And since you are my friend could you ask me how I am please?"

Brennan paused, she studied Angela's face intently, she could see that Angela appeared excitable, "I already know how you are, you had a wonderful time in Paris and you want to go back as soon as you can. You didn't miss murders and violence."

Angela paused, it was time to tell Brennan the secret she had been carrying around for the last two weeks, "What I did miss is my period."

Brennan immediately felt happiness wash over her, her best friend was pregnant, Angela and Hodgins were having a baby, just like in her dream. Brennan pulled herself up from the bed as much as she was able and wrapped her arms around her best friend, holding her tightly.

Angela smiled from within her friends' arms, "I hope you are hugging me because you are excited about being an aunt."

Brennan pulled away as she looked at her friend confusedly, "I'd have to be your sister to do that," she watched as Angela looked at her expectantly, "Oh which I am, metaphorically," she added with a smile.

"Yes you'd better be," Angela explained as she leant back into her chair, "because I haven't even told Hodgins yet," she said with a sigh, feeling better that she had finally told Brennan about her pregnancy but still feeling guilty that she hadn't told her husband first.

Brennan smiled, before she reassured her friend, "Well anthropologically speaking women often confide in other women before broaching sensitive subjects with their mates."

Angela smiled, "Thanks sweetie," she knew telling Brennan first was a good idea, she squeezed her hand once more and settled back into the chair.

"You are welcome," Brennan replied as she settled back into the bed.

"So sweetie, since we've spoken about me and I've shared my news, is there anything you need to share with me?" Angela asked, "Why were you in Maluku longer than you intended?" she added, leaving out that she had read Booth's letter and had her own assumptions as to why Brennan had remained in Maluku.

Brennan sighed as she contemplated telling Angela all about the dream life she had experienced, but as usual decided against it. That dream was just her subconscious, it wasn't real and the sooner Brennan accepted that the better it would be. "Maluku was interesting," Brennan began, "but we didn't find anything that completely changed the idea of what it was to be human, we had some close calls, but nothing of historical significance was found," she explained with another sigh.

"And your extra week?" Angela asked, pressing her friend for more information.

"I was asked to stay to search one final part of the island," Brennan answered quickly, lying to her friend. Brennan had been the one that had asked to stay in Indonesia for the extra week, as soon as she had found out that Booth was delaying his return home, she had decided to delay hers. Rationally it didn't make sense, but Brennan had decided if Booth wasn't going to be home for another week she didn't want to be either. She'd been worried about him being in a war zone since he had been in Afghanistan and she decided that if she was to go home her worries would increase because everywhere she looked she'd be reminded of him.

Angela nodded, she knew Brennan was lying but she knew better than to continue to push her friend on subjects that she wasn't comfortable with, she'd tried once today and for now that would have to be enough. So Angela changed the subject, "When is Daisy planning to come home?"

Brennan turned her head to the side, trying to remember what the eager intern had told her about her returning home plans, "I think.." she began, before she was distracted by a flash of blonde haired boy from the doorway of her room. She smiled warmly as she realised who this boy was and he raced to her side, throwing his arms around her tightly.

"Bones, I missed you," came the small and familiar voice of Parker Booth. "Are you okay?" he asked sincerely, "Did you get hurt cause my Dad wasn't with you?" he added, his eyes wide with worry.

Brennan looked down at the top of Parker's head, placing her arms around him and hugging him back, "I missed you too Parker," she said as he pulled back from her and sat on the bed beside her, he wrinkled his nose and studied her face in a manner exact to the way his father could.

"Are you alright?" Parker asked again,

"I'm okay now." Brennan answered as she watched both Booth and Parker's mother Rebecca enter the room.

"Parker," Booth said with an angry tone, "what did I say about being quiet and careful?" he asked.

"But Dad," Parker said protesting, "you and Mom were going to be out there for ages talking about Bones and she was right here and I wanted to see her," he explained.

"You were talking about me?" Brennan questioned, she didn't know if she liked that idea.

"It was my fault Temperance," Rebecca began with a smile, "I was asking Seeley about how you were doing," she explained, "You look well though."

"Thanks Rebecca."

"Duh Mom if you wanted to know about Bones you coulda just asked her," Parker explained from his seat next to Brennan. It was then that he looked towards Angela, he smiled, "Hi Angela," he added.

"Hi Baby Booth," Angela replied with a smile, reaching over to ruffle Parker's hair, "You've grown so big," she said with surprise.

"I know," Parker told her, "soon I'll have armpit hair and Dad will have to tell me things he doesn't want me to know."

Brennan couldn't help but laugh and soon enough Rebecca and Angela were laughing too. Booth of course stayed stone faced, before he wandered over to the bed and sat beside Parker, "Come on then," he said as he reached for the corner of Parker's sweatshirt, "let's see those pits."

Parker laughed as he pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, "See Dad,"

Booth looked and smiled, there was still nothing there, "Nope nothing there, you are still waiting Bub."

Parker pouted once more, before he turned his attention back to Brennan, "Bones," he began, "you didn't answer my question." Brennan stared at Parker blankly, before Parker asked again, "Bones did you get hurt because my Dad wasn't with you?"

Immediately Brennan looked towards Booth, who was looking as confused as she felt.

"Bub," Booth began as his son turned back to look at him, "Why did you ask that?"

"You and Bones do dangerous work Dad. I know you've looked after her in the past, I thought maybe she was injured cause you weren't there to save her." Parker answered honestly.

"I had an accident Parker," Brennan explained as she watched the expression on Booth's face change from one of confusion as to Parker's question to one of almost guilt. "I was standing on some sedimentary rock and I slipped," she continued as the boy turned back to face her, "Even if your Dad was with me, he couldn't have stopped me from falling."

Parker nodded and turned back to his father once again, "Is that right Dad?"

Angela had sat silently in the chair watching the exchange between her best friend, her friend and his son, she could tell that Booth was now struggling to answer his son's question so she stepped in, "Your dad is a great man, Baby Booth," she began, "But even he can't stop people from falling."

"Accidents happen," Brennan added before explaining, "and no-one knows when they will happen. You can use a variable to calculate the likelihood, probability and odds of an accident occurring but calculations like that are rudimentary and unnecessary to actual human life."

Parker wrinkled his nose, "Okay," he replied simply, before he hugged Brennan tightly again, "I'm just happy you are okay now." He added from within Brennan's arms.

"I'm glad too." Brennan replied with a smile towards Booth.

Booth smiled back towards his partner, he was glad Angela had been able to answer Parker's questions, as soon as his son had mentioned that he'd saved Bones' life his thoughts had immediately gone to James, the friend he hadn't been able to save.

"So Parker," Rebecca said quietly from her position on the other side of the room, "Now that you have seen your father and Doctor Brennan do you think that you might just be able to go to school today?"

Parker moved out from under Brennan's arms and studied his mother's face intently, "Do I have to?"

Rebecca nodded, "It's a school day Parks and that usually means yes," she said with a smile.

Parker turned to look at his Dad, before asking, "Dad will you take me to school? Or do you have to stay here with Bones?"

Booth looked at his son before looking at Bones, he was about to answer, but Brennan answered for him. "Of course he can go with you to school."

Parker beamed, "Great," he said with a smile, "Can we go home first Mom? I want to show Dad my new pedal car," he asked as he leapt off the side of the bed and began bouncing on his toes.

Rebecca laughed, "We've still got a few hours until school buddy, plenty of time to show your Dad your car, as long as he can come."

"You will Dad, won't you?" Parker asked pleadingly.

Booth looked towards Brennan again, she didn't say anything she just smiled at him knowingly and he knew that she wanted him to go with his son. "Yes Bub, I'll come with you."

"Parker," Rebecca began, "let's go and get the car, Seeley can meet us downstairs okay? I'll see you later Temperance."

"Okay Mom," Parker replied with a smile, before he leant back over to Brennan once more, hugging her again, "I'm glad you're home Bones. I missed swimming in your pool. You will keep teaching me the cannonball won't you?" he questioned.

"Of course," Brennan replied, "but maybe not for a few weeks."

Parker nodded, "Feel better," he told Brennan as he walked back over to his Mom, "Bye Angela," he added as he left the room with Rebecca, leaving Brennan, Booth and Angela alone.

"Sorry about that," Booth said as he stood from Bones' bed, turning to face her, "You will be okay while I'm gone?" he questioned as he went to pick up his army rucksack from where he had hastily discarded it less than twenty four hours ago.

"She'll be fine." Angela answered, "She has me after all."

"I can't exactly go anywhere Booth," Brennan added, pointing at the bandages that held her leg in place.

Booth laughed as he reached for Bones' hand and took it in his, "I'll be back later, after Parker has gone to school."

Brennan nodded, in all honesty she was pleased Parker had asked his father to go with him, she needed a moment alone to think, she needed to straighten out her thoughts, she'd seen Parker and he was certainly not a father of two sons, more proof that what she had dreamt of was a life that never existed.

"Booth," Angela began, interrupting Brennan's train of thoughts, "As much as I've missed seeing you, please don't come back until you've had a shower."

Booth laughed as he squeezed Brennan's hand before he let go beginning to move towards the corridor, "Okay, I'll be back later, after Parker has gone to school and after I've had a shower."

Brennan smiled, "Bye Booth,"

"Bye Bones, bye Angela." Booth called from the corridor and with that he was gone.

Angela sighed, "Baby Booth is certainly one adorable child," she stated with a smile, "Do you think my baby will be as adorable as him?"

"Genetically that is impossible," Brennan began, "You and Hodgins have substantially different DNA strands than what Booth and Rebecca do, there is no chance that your child and Parker will resemble each other at all."

Angela stifled a laugh, "That isn't what I meant sweetie, but thanks for the science lesson."

"I don't know what you mean." Brennan replied.

"I know you don't," Angela said as she smiled warmly, "and that's why I missed you."

Brennan turned her head to the side, she still didn't know what Angela meant, but decided to ignore it, "I missed you too Angela, I'm glad I'm home."


	13. Nightfall

_Another chapter for you all! I hope you enjoy this one, the next chapter will be up soon! Thanks for all of the reviews, you make me smile!_

_Nothing is as usual mine, I am just enjoying the time I spend writing!_

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Thirteen - Nightfall**

Quite a few hours later, close to nightfall, a freshly shaven and showered Seeley Booth made his way back to the George Washington Hospital. Parker had talked to Booth constantly on their way back to Rebecca's, and once there he had shown Booth almost every new possession he had gotten in his father's absence. Being with Parker had been wonderful, it had been exactly what Booth had needed, it reminded him of all of the good things he had in his life, even when there were bad things that still crowded his brain. After Rebecca and Booth had taken Parker to school, Rebecca had taken Booth back to his apartment, she'd walked him inside, telling him about all that had happened to her in the past year and she'd made him promise he wasn't going back to Afghanistan anytime soon, she'd reminded him that even though she wasn't his partner or his girlfriend, she was the mother of his child and that she had been terrified that for the past year she was going to have to tell their son that his father wasn't coming home. Booth had promised Rebecca that he wasn't going anywhere; he'd told her that he had made his decision; his life in the army was over. Soon after, Rebecca had left Booth alone in his apartment and for a few moments Booth had just stood still in his lounge room, he took some deep breaths and collected his thoughts, he was home in Washington, Afghanistan was a long way away, he had responsibilities and a life to get back to and that included the woman whose room he now stood outside of. He'd been away from the hospital longer than he had expected, his apartment had been exceptionally dusty and smelt of mildew and old socks. It had taken him an hour to find the offending sock, it was a plain black sports sock, balled up under the couch, Jared's sock of course. The next time he spoke to his brother he was going to ask him how often he and Padme had visited, it certainly wasn't each week as Jared had promised it would be. Obviously his brother was enjoying his time as a newlywed. So once Booth had tidied and then had the shower he'd promised Angela, he'd been ready to sit down for a few moments before he went back to the hospital. Those few moments had turned into a few hours of sleep, sleep that had been interrupted when he had woken startled, confused and coated in sweat. He'd dreamt of the night that James had been killed once more, and he'd had to shower for a second time. Once he had showered and dressed once again instead of sitting down, he'd made his way to the hospital, he had however made one stop on the way.

[-]

Brennan sighed, the day had gone by quite slowly. Angela and Hodgins had been with her since Booth had left. Angela had fussed over her and made sure that she had eaten and eventually she had let Brennan sleep, as long as she promised she was going to wake up when Angela woke her. Angela had smiled a huge smile when a few hours later Brennan had woken up and had stayed awake. Brennan and Angela had been conversing since and as they had before they hadn't run out of things to talk about. Hodgins had recently left the two of them alone, he had gone in search of food, real food, he had told both Angela and Brennan that he wasn't eating any more cafeteria food, he had after all gotten used to the delicacies of the French. Brennan settled back into the bed and as she did she noticed Booth standing in her doorway, he was no longer wearing his army uniform, he was dressed casually in his Flyers t-shirt, faded blue jeans and his familiar green jacket, in his hands he held a bunch of daffodils.

Booth smiled as he entered the room once again, "Hi Bones," he said as he wandered over to the bed and patted her on the hand softly, before he handed her the bunch of flowers he had stopped off to buy her. "Angela, I've showered," he added with a laugh as he pulled another chair to beside the bed and sat down.

Angela laughed as she leant over Booth and sniffed him, "Indeed, you smell much better now."

"Hi Booth, thank you for the flowers," Brennan replied as she smiled back towards him, "How was Parker? Did you get him to school?"

"Eventually yes, he did make me promise that he could see you soon though," Booth explained, remembering that Parker had made Booth promise several times that he could see Brennan again. "I thought maybe I could bring him by tomorrow afternoon to see you."

"You might have to bring him to my house in that case." Brennan explained.

"They're letting you go home already?" Booth questioned, "Are you ready to go home?"

Brennan sighed, "I'm not an invalid Booth. I have already noticed a marked decline in the amount of swelling around the talus, especially now that it is bandaged correctly."

Booth smiled, "So you found yourself a doctor then?"

"I found one for her." Hodgins stated as he entered the hospital room, he seemed to be carrying cups of coffee and what looked like pastries.

"Brennan lectured her," Angela explained, "The poor girl, I thought she was going to burst into tears at one stage."

"Especially when you made her take the bandage off for a second time and start over," Hodgins added, stifling a laugh, "You're a tough patient Dr B." he told Brennan with a smile as he leant on the edge of his wife's chair.

"She wasn't completing her job satisfactorily." Brennan explained, "How else do people learn if they aren't pulled up on their mistakes," she added looking towards Booth to see if he agreed.

Booth smiled, "I'm glad you are now happy with your treatment Bones."

"As am I." Brennan stated, "I did tell you earlier that I wanted to go home."

"So what else did they tell you?" Booth asked concernedly, "Are you ready to go home?"

Brennan sighed, when she had first met Booth she had missed having someone care about where she was all the time, she hadn't had that in her life since her parents and Russ had deserted her and Booth had been the first person who'd worried about her, who'd wanted to know where she was and who wanted to make sure she was looking after herself. Some of the time it was an endearing feature and some of the time, for example this time it could be quite frustrating. "As long as I have sufficient sleep this evening and there is a continued decrease in swelling overnight I am completely fine to return to my home tomorrow afternoon." Brennan stated firmly.

"Sweetie," Angela began, "That's not entirely true." Brennan turned and shot Angela a look, "I'm sorry sweetie, but it's not as simple as that."

Booth sighed, "There are conditions to your release aren't there?" he questioned.

"You make it sound like she's in prison," Angela said with a small laugh.

"Technically she is strapped to the bed," Hodgins piped up as he handed Angela her coffee, which she immediately handed to Booth.

"Hodgins," Angela warned as she leant up to kiss him softly, "I think we need to shut up for a few minutes, we are getting a little carried away."

Booth smiled, "That might be a good idea," he told his friends before he turned his attention back to Brennan, "So," he began.

Brennan sighed, "The doctors have told me I can go home as long as there is someone to stay with me for a few days, I'm not to stand for long periods of time and I'm not to walk long distances tomorrow. However the day after tomorrow the latest doctor suggested that I should take a short walk."

"I've spoken to Cam," Angela said interrupting, "She and I have volunteered to stay at Brennan's with her tomorrow night and then the next night it's going to be your turn Studly."

Booth nodded, "That's fine," he said with a smile. "I'm also going to stay here tonight," he added, watching for Brennan's reaction.

"I will be fine here alone Booth." Brennan stated.

Booth sighed, "It's been decided," he told her firmly, "It isn't nice being in the hospital alone Bones."

"I think you'd better agree Bren," Angela told her, "Booth has his serious face."

Brennan stifled a smile before she nodded, and replied, "If you wish," secretly she was glad Booth was offering to stay, irrationally she was slightly worried that once she went to sleep this evening she would wake up confused once more and at least with Booth there she would be able to see someone familiar. Whilst Booth had been gone during the day and when Angela had let Brennan have a few moments of quiet Brennan had been straightening out her thoughts. She had finally begun to feel more like herself once more, seeing Parker had helped and Angela's announcement that she was pregnant had made Brennan concentrate on the life that was around her at that particular moment, not the life that had been in her head.

"I do wish," Booth said firmly, as he took a sip of the coffee that Angela had handed him.

Hodgins smiled as he handed a pastry towards his wife, who took the treat from him in a hurry and ate it hurriedly. He then offered one to both Booth and Brennan who joined him and his wife in eating. He felt a familiar sense of security with the four of them sitting together again, he knew his wife had been worried about things not being the same after the four of them had gone their own ways, but Hodgins had been worried too. He was after all the conspiracy theorist of the couple, he'd been worried that the years of crime solving they'd had were over and the family he'd made for himself was never to be re-formed. But sitting here, even though they were in hospital, Hodgins felt relieved. All of a sudden Hodgins thoughts were interrupted, by his wife's voice.

"Brennan, you'll need food."

"Angela," Brennan said calmly, "I have food, I've eaten today, several times, you've been here with me."

"No Brennan," Angela replied, "at your apartment, you haven't been there for a year, it's going to be dirty and there won't be food and it won't be clean enough for you to come home to tomorrow if you are released."

"Firstly it's when Angela," Brennan began, "and my apartment won't be dirty. I paid cleaners to tidy it before I came home. They would have been there last week and as for food I am quite certain that I'll have enough for tomorrow at least, I left canned goods in one of my kitchen cupboards."

"No Brennan," Angela said worried, "that won't do," she added as she turned to Hodgins, "we are going to have to take a trip to the grocery store," she said as she stood from the chair, "in fact we'd better be going now. I am glad that you gave me your key before you left sweetie,"

"Is there anything in particular you'd like Dr B?" Hodgins asked as he stood next to his wife, he knew better than to prevent his wife from doing anything, once she'd made her mind up it was easier to follow her than to argue with her.

Brennan smiled, "I cannot think of anything," she replied, "Angela you don't need to do this, you too need to rest and take care of yourself." Angela shot Brennan a look, and Brennan corrected herself, "You've only returned from an international journey yourself."

"I'm fine sweetie," Angela replied, as she leant over to hug her friend good bye. "I'll be back tomorrow morning and I'll bring you some clean clothes."

"Thanks Angela," Brennan replied, before asking, "You don't happen to know where my luggage is do you?"

Angela looked towards Hodgins and Booth and both of them shook their heads, "I'll have to ask Cam sweetie. The only thing I've seen is your bag," Angela answered pointing towards where Brennan had left the bag earlier.

"Perhaps Daisy has it," Booth answered, "I'm sure she has it all in hand."

"That makes sense to me." Hodgins said agreeing.

"In this case Angela," Brennan began, "I will definitely need you to bring me clothes. I'm not going home in this," Brennan explained as she took the corner of her hospital gown in two of her fingers and flicked.

Angela and Hodgins both laughed in unison, "We will make clothes our top priority," Hodgins told Brennan with a smile as he made his way towards the corridor. "I'll see you tomorrow Booth."

"Bye Hodgins," Booth called after him, "Bye Angela," he added as she made her way to join her husband, "I'll look after her."

Angela turned back to smile at Booth and Brennan and waved, "See you tomorrow."

Brennan sighed as she turned to look at Booth who had moved to the chair that Angela had been sitting in previously.

"How are you feeling Bones?" Booth asked concernedly.

"I'm fine," Brennan said with a smile, "I'd prefer to be at home. But for now I guess this will have to be sufficient."

"You've been injured Bones, you have to allow your body to recover." Booth told her with a smile, "You've told me that I've needed to recover after I've been injured, it is time for you to do what I've had to do."

Brennan nodded, "I'm not used to not being able to do what I want to do, when I want to do it."

Booth nodded back and took hold of Brennan's hand once more, he squeezed it tightly, "Soon enough Bones, you'll be back in the lab."

Brennan smiled, "I've missed the lab Booth."

Booth laughed, "Bones that doesn't surprise me at all."

[-]

A few hours passed and apart from a few small conversations Brennan and Booth hadn't really spoken. The hospital room had been silent, but it wasn't an awkward kind of silence. Brennan had dozed peacefully off and on and Booth hadn't left her side. Booth had been awake and staring at her every time Brennan had opened her eyes. Brennan hadn't dreamt of anything in the small naps she had taken and she was beginning to feel a little more like her usual self with every moment that passed. She pulled herself up into a sitting position and stared at Booth. She had noticed his face when Parker had spoken about his father saving people, she'd noticed the look of guilt cross his features. There weren't many people whose faces she could read, but Booth was a different story. She wanted to know what had happened to Booth in Afghanistan, so she took a deep breath and began to speak, "Booth we need to talk."


	14. The Story of James

_Another chapter for you all, enjoy :)_

_Still Bones isn't mine. _

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Fourteen - The Story of James**

Booth had been watching Bones sleep off and on for hours, since Angela and Hodgins had left, she hadn't spoken in her sleep again and she had seemed quite peaceful. It was late, the hospital corridor had quietened, and Brennan's room had darkened, Booth smiled towards Brennan as he watched her pull herself up into a sitting position; she was staring at him with a look that he recognised. Her eyes were focused and she had crinkled her nose, this meant that she had something important to discuss.

"Booth we need to talk," Brennan said firmly, and Booth felt his heart jump in his chest, he immediately sat a little straighter in his chair.

"What did you want to talk about Bones?" Booth asked casually.

"James." Brennan said directly, "You told me about him in your letter."

Booth felt his back stiffen, he had written that letter to Bones in the middle of a hot Afghan night, he'd walked it to the communications tent before the sun had come up and when he had woken up the next morning he'd tried to get the letter back but it had been too late, the mail had already been taken. If he'd thought about what he was writing before he had written the letter, he mightn't have ever told Bones about James, he would have just written her a simple letter, explaining that he had been asked to stay behind and that he would see her the week later. Instead he had written his emotions after a day he wanted to forget and he'd sent them to another person, a person who was now staring at him expectantly. "Bones," he began before pausing, "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

Brennan sighed, "Booth I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know."

"You've been injured Bones, you've got your own issues to deal with at the moment, you don't need mine." Booth explained.

"Booth we are partners." Brennan said firmly, she knew that it was important that Booth speak about what had happened to him, Booth had once told her about his army life and she knew that she didn't want him to deal with those same issues again. "I want to know what happened to James."

Booth looked at her, her face was determined and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to change the subject, so he took a deep breath and began his story. "James was from New York, he was 21. He was married,"

"Married at 21?" Brennan questioned, interrupting.

Booth nodded before continuing, "He married his high school sweetheart, her name was Lucy. I spoke to her once, she was a sweet kid, she was a teacher. James signed up because of his cousin, his cousin was killed in a car accident the year before and it was his dream to be in the army. James signed up in his memory."

"He wanted to do something for his cousin?" Brennan asked, she could see the reason Booth had become fond of James, they shared some characteristics, both of them were men of honour.

Booth nodded, "Lucy was furious, she didn't want James to go. She'd just found out that she was pregnant when he was posted to Afghanistan for a twelve-month deployment. James arrived a few months after I did. He was sent to my training group and he quickly fitted in and began to excel. He really was one of the best I'd seen in a long time." Brennan nodded, as Booth continued, "Military activities were increased as there had been a kidnapping of a translator's daughter, my training group were sent out into active duty. I'd protested to the General, I didn't believe that they were ready as a unit to see action. But he hadn't listened, he'd given me the usual spiel 'we don't have enough resources as it is, they will just have to band together.' They'd been gone for two days and there had been no communication from them."

"You were worried?" Brennan questioned as she noticed the faraway look on Booth's face.

Booth nodded, "I thought they must have been ambushed and that they had no chance to report back to base. I feared that they were all dead."

"But they hadn't been killed?"

"No," Booth said, "there had been heavy fire in the first hours that they had been away from base and they had hidden in a cave only minutes away from base. They'd been there for almost twenty-four hours when another of my men, Buddy, spotted the translator's daughter. She was with three men and they weren't paying her any attention. The men were fighting amongst themselves and they hadn't noticed that she'd begun to walk off from them. Buddy had caught sight of her with his binoculars and they'd formulated a plan."

"You'd taught them well Booth." Brennan told him reassuringly.

"It was all James, Bones. All the kid." Booth said, his voice wavering, remembering what the other men had told him after the fire fight was over. "He decided that they needed to get her attention and then move her quickly to safety. She was closer to base than what they were, so they organised themselves and began their assault. Buddy radioed in to base and I was in the comms tent when he did. They hadn't been able to communicate from the cave and they were too inexperienced to go out of the cave alone. But when they'd seen the girl, they all knew that they had to do something. Buddy managed to get the girls' attention and one of the others Stav, got her away. He'd gotten her back to base as the fighting broke out; James had gone in first to protect the others, he'd killed two of the men instantly but only wounded the third, and this third man had managed another shot before Buddy had stepped in and shot him too. James was shot by the third man, it was a through and through. Pierced just under the liver and came out the other side." Booth said with a hint of finality in his voice, his eyes filling with unshed tears.

Brennan winced, she known that this was coming but that didn't make it easier to hear, with that kind of wound James wouldn't have lasted long. She reached for Booth's hand cautiously and then slowly closed her fingers around his. He didn't look at her, he simply stared out into the room, and she watched as he took a deep breath and continued.

"The insurgents were no longer a threat," Booth explained, "Buddy managed to carry James over his shoulder and they made it back to base," Booth added with a shiver, the memory of himself supporting a dying Teddy still fresh in his mind, despite the many years that had passed.

Brennan nodded, gently squeezing Booth's hand, "He was alive still wasn't he?" she questioned gently, almost sensing what Booth was going to tell her.

Booth nodded, his eyes closing, remembering the look of pain that had been stricken across James' face, "We tried to save him,"

"You mean you tried to save him," Brennan interrupted.

"Yes Bones," Booth replied, his eyes opening and staring into Brennan's, "I tried to save him, but I failed."

Brennan shook her head, "A bullet passing through the liver is almost always fatal Booth, there would have been nothing you could've done," she added reassuringly, as her eyes connected with his, she could see the pain behind them, and the guilt.

"He died in my arms Bones," Booth said quietly, his voice wavering and his lips trembling as he spoke.

"Booth," Brennan said quietly, trying to reassure him that she was there for him.

"He told me to tell Lucy he was sorry and that he loved her, he was sorry he'd never see his child, he was sorry he'd just made Lucy's worst fear come true. Her fear that their son would have no father, that he'd have no memories of the man that was half of him." Booth explained, remembering the sound of James' strained voice, the way he'd made Booth promise that he'd tell her. It was then, listening to James that Booth decided that he no longer belonged in the army, that this was a part of his life that he had already suffered through; he'd already held a soldier in the last moments of his life, he'd made promises before, he'd never should have gone back.

"You promised him didn't you Booth?" Brennan questioned, knowing that Booth would have done so.

Booth nodded again, "How could I not? He was dying in my arms, it was my fault."

"How is any of this your fault Booth?" Brennan questioned, "You didn't shoot him, it wasn't your bullet that pierced his liver."

"I should've trained them all better Bones," Booth explained, finally telling her the thoughts that had been on his mind since, "I should've fought harder to stop the brass from sending them out alone, I should have warned them that you always protect your team, that you never let one of them go out alone, that you go out together."

Brennan sighed, she knew that Booth would have trained his soldiers excellently, "Booth?" she questioned, "What was the first thing you taught all of them?"

Booth looked at Brennan quizzically, "The first lesson was teamwork," he replied from memory, remembering the speech he had prepared to teach his soldiers.

"Teamwork," Brennan repeated, "Working with the members of your team to achieve successful outcomes, right?" Booth nodded by way of agreement, "So then you did teach them to work together?"

"I guess I did," Booth replied.

"None of what happened to James is your fault Booth," Brennan said firmly, "None of it."

"But," Booth began.

"No Booth," Brennan told him, "There is no evidence to suggest that you are responsible in any way, those are the facts."

Booth stared at Brennan, her face was serious and she was studying him with the same intensity that she studied the bones that found themselves on her table in the lab. He took another deep breath and tried to collect himself, "He still died in my arms Bones,"

"You aren't a doctor Booth," Brennan explained, "You have no real medical training, you were in the desert, you aren't responsible. You held him as he died, you were there," Brennan added firmly, "just being there doesn't make your responsible."

Booth sighed, Bones had her own way of convincing him to believe certain information, it was the way she explained things, the way she was so certain of the facts that managed to convince him that she was usually right. It was her tone of voice at the same time, the way she spoke told him that she was so certain of her information, so certain of the fact that none of what happened to James was his fault in any way and for a moment Booth began to see her point of view.

Brennan turned her head to the side, Booth hadn't responded to her last reassurance and she was worried that meant that she had pushed him too far, worried that he wouldn't tell her anything else about his time in Afghanistan. "Have you spoken to Lucy?" Brennan questioned, wondering if this slight deviation from subject would elicit a response from Booth.

"I spoke to her once," Booth answered, "James was running late to their pre-arranged phone call so I spoke to her then,"

"But you've not told her what James told you," Booth shook his head, "Are you going to tell her?" Brennan questioned.

"I owe James that much Bones," Booth replied, "I just need time to work out what to say,"

"You tell her the facts Booth," Brennan explained, "Just as you told me."

"I tell her the facts," Booth repeated, he sighed, once before he'd told the facts to a woman who'd lost her partner in a war, at a cemetery with Bones watching him, he'd told Claire, a complete stranger that Teddy Parker had been in love with her. He wondered what was so different now, why he couldn't just find Lucy and tell her as he had told Claire, perhaps the difference was that last time he had a brain tumour that he was unaware of, he'd been told that information whilst undergoing a delusion, this time there'd been no delusion. James had told Booth to tell Lucy, he'd made him promise and Booth had to keep his promise.

Brennan continued to watch as Booth's eyes glazed over, she could see that he was processing the information that she had given him, "Do you want me to come with you?" she questioned, offering her support, after all together they'd told at least eighty people that someone they knew had died.

"Yes," Booth replied quickly, "But you can't come until you can walk, you have to let yourself get better first," he added firmly.

"Booth I am going home tomorrow," Brennan responded, "I will be right as precipitation soon enough,"

Booth smiled, "I think you mean right as rain Bones, right as rain," he corrected her with a laugh, it felt wrong to laugh after the conversation they'd just had, but he couldn't help it.

"Right as rain then," Brennan repeated, matching Booth's wide smile, it was good to see him smile after what he'd just told her, "Thank you Booth," she added as she gave his hand one final squeeze before letting his fingers fall away from hers.

"What are you thanking me for?" Booth questioned, slightly puzzled, she never usually thanked him for correcting her incorrect idioms.

"Thank you for telling me about James," Brennan answered, as she forced a yawn to escape her lips, preventing the wince of pain she felt show on her face as she settled back into the hospital bed. She was determined that she was going home tomorrow, and if Booth saw that her ankle was still giving her pain, he'd do everything in his power to prevent her from being discharged, she closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath, thinking of calming thoughts to prevent her pain from flashing across her face for Booth to see.

"Thank you for listening," Booth replied, as he watched her settle back into the bed, her eyes flickering closed. It was then that he realised that he'd not mentioned anything about what he'd thought their conversation was going to be about, he'd wanted to discuss what she'd said upon waking for the first time, but instead they'd talked about him and now as he concentrated on Brennan once more, he realised she'd fallen asleep on him once again and he honestly didn't have the heart to wake her. He sighed and sat back in the hospital chair, Bones had made sense, she was a woman who knew how to present a case, how to convince him of the facts, maybe, just maybe she was right, James dying wasn't his fault and maybe one day, he'd believe her.

* * *

_So there we have the story of James, sorry if you thought that this big conversation was going to be about what Brennan said, but that's a conversation for later, writer's prerogative and all. I hope you liked the chapter though, the next one will be up sooner than the last._

_Also if you liked the dream land that I wrote earlier, then there is another three-part fluffy story uploaded called **The Anthropologist and the Agent in the Wedding**. _


	15. Going Home

_So finally here is the next chapter, I am sorry that it was so long coming but the muse really didn't like the whole proposal scenario and decided to take refuge in writing Castle for the time being. However with that amazing most recent episode, she decided that she wanted to write and so today that's all I've done._

_For readers of the deleted scene-wedding story I wrote I've hidden a few little similarities in here just for fun._

_This chapter is dedicated to Janet, whose encouragement when I was feeling blah about my writing was most gratefully received. _

_Finally as much as I'd like it to be, Bones isn't mine. Nevertheless enjoy!_

**The Anthropologist in the Dream**

**Chapter Fifteen – Going Home**

It was early when Brennan awoke, light was beginning to stream under the drawn curtain of her hospital room, she sighed as she moved around in the bed, she wanted to go home. She couldn't handle another day stuck in this same boring room, she needed to go home, she stretched her legs under the stiff hospital sheets, one moved easily, the other strained slightly, but there was less pain than the night before, she smiled to herself, this was a good sign. She then turned her attention to Booth who was sleeping in the chair next to her, he looked relatively peaceful, his breathing was even and his face was calm, there was no sign of pain crossing his features and for this Brennan was grateful. She knew Booth, knew him better than she'd known anyone in a long time, what he had told her last night was heart crushing, that he'd held a man whom had reminded him of himself as he died, even for a strong man like Booth that would have affected him, she'd once said that for a strong man Booth was very in touch with his emotions, she smiled again as Booth moved in the chair, turning his face away from her. Booth was a strong man, but he felt the pain of the world on his own shoulders, it was Brennan's challenge to make sure that he understood that James' death was not his fault and she knew that that one conversation would not be enough.

She settled back into the bed and stared at the roof, honestly she was bored of this place, staying in the one room was not the ideal situation for Brennan, after all she was an extremely intelligent woman, she needed mental stimulation.

"Ms Brennan?" A voice questioned from the doorway, interrupting Brennan's thoughts, "Are you awake Ms Brennan?" the voice questioned again.

Brennan rolled her eyes before turning her head to face the direction, "It's Doctor Brennan and yes I am awake," she replied, staring at the woman who stepped into the room, trying to look official and holding a clipboard.

"My name is Doctor Sparrow, I am the chief resident here, I have come to confirm that you are well enough to be discharged today."

"I can confirm that the swelling in my leg has decreased markedly over the past day," Brennan explained, not liking the tone in the doctor's voice.

"I need to perform a cursory examination and be confident that you are able to take care of your wound so that it does not become infected as an infection would lead to you being re-hospitalised and I am sure that this is a situation that you are eager to avoid." The doctor explained as she moved to stand on the opposite side of the bed to where Booth was still sleeping peacefully. "First things first, your wound is located in a difficult area, in between two bones and a ligament, now if you have difficulty finding the area, then that is okay, it is after all difficult to find for a lay person. Now to find the talus bone you need to,"

Booth awoke to the sound of an unfamiliar voice, he kept his eyes closed for a few moments, before his mouth dropped open at the unfamiliar voice calling Bones a lay person and trying to explain where a bone was located.

"I won't need help locating the talus bone." Brennan replied curtly, interrupting, she didn't care for this doctor's manner, she was worse than the girl yesterday who incorrectly bandaged her leg, the education system had clearly failed these two.

"It can be a difficult area to find, I do not wish to leave you unprepared when you are home." Doctor Sparrow explained, concerned for her patients welfare.

"In case you missed what I said earlier doctor, I too am a doctor, I am a forensic anthropologist," Brennan explained.

Booth smiled to himself, keeping his eyes closed and his face turned away from Bones, he knew that if he looked at her he would immediately start to laugh.

"I know bones," Brennan explained, "I am the best in the world, I do not need to be shown by you where a bone is located, for example I can tell you that I know that you broke your arm when you were young and it wasn't set correctly,"

The doctor's mouth dropped, she had broken her arm as a child, and every so often she would experience pain in it.

"The way you move the clipboard shows that you are unable to hold something of very little weight for even a short period of time without pain," Brennan said continuing, "I'd see someone about that, after all it can be a danger to your patients if your own body does not function correctly."

Booth couldn't help but let out a small laugh, Bones had really attacked the doctor and the doctor had yet to make a reply.

"Your discharge papers will be signed immediately and you will be able to leave the hospital in a few hours," the doctor replied before she clenched both her arms to her chest and walked quickly out of the room.

"You can open your eyes now Booth," Brennan said with a smile as she reached out to tap him on the shoulder, "I heard you laugh,"

"Bones, you totally told her, you totally had her rattled," Booth said as he turned around to face the smiling Brennan.

"She was lecturing me about bones Booth, me, about bones," Brennan explained with a shake of her head.

Booth laughed, "Nobody is qualified to tell you about bones, Bones, but did you really have to say those things about her arm?"

"I can't help that Booth, her arm was speaking to me, I had to say something, it was calling out for study."

Booth laughed again, "At least you got your discharge papers signed, you're going home."

Brennan smiled, "Indeed I am."

* * *

Angela smiled as her husband parked the car outside the hospital, she turned to reach behind her for the bag she had packed Brennan, but her hand was swiftly swatted away by Hodgins.

"I will take that," he replied quickly, reaching around and lifting the bag over the top of both their heads, "No heavy lifting for you."

Angela rolled her eyes, "Jack, I'm pregnant, not ill."

"Doesn't matter," Hodgins replied as they both climbed from the car and made their way towards the hospital's entrance, "from now on I carry things, you've got precious cargo in there baby." He added, kissing Angela's cheek softly, "I'm right aren't I baby?" he questioned, as he placed a hand on Angela's still flat stomach.

Angela laughed, "Not even born and the two of you are conspiring against me."

"Mama better get used to it."

"Mama wants to see Brennan." Angela replied, as she quickened her pace and strode into the hospital's lobby.

* * *

Hodgins laughed as he and Angela stepped from the elevator and begun their familiar walk towards Brennan's room.

"Excuse me," came a voice from behind them, making them stop in their tracks. They both turned and were met by a harried looking doctor, she held one of her arms tightly to her chest and the other was pushing a wheelchair.

"Hodgins," Angela began, "there is no way that you can make me get in that, I am pregnant, not injured."

Hodgins looked at Angela blankly, before the doctor questioned, "You are here to see Doctor Brennan, aren't you?" she said with a hopeful expression on her face.

"Yes we are." Angela answered worriedly, "Is she okay?"

"Doctor Brennan is fine," the doctor answered, making a special inference on the word doctor. "Please tell her that her discharge papers are signed and ready on level 1, and that she will need to use this to leave the building," she said as she wheeled the wheelchair towards Angela and Hodgins, "it is after all a hospital requirement, hospital procedure."

Hodgins nodded and placed the bag in the seat before taking hold of the handles, "You don't need to come and tell her this yourself?" he questioned.

The doctor shook her head, as she placed one arm under the other, "No," she said firmly, "I have an urgent appointment in x-ray."

Angela and Hodgins looked at each other questioningly, and the doctor took that as her moment to escape.

"Whoa," Hodgins began as they started to walk towards Brennan's room, "what did Brennan say to her? She looks more worried than that intern yesterday."

Angela laughed, "Somehow I think it's not only Bren who wants her to leave hospital."

* * *

Brennan looked up from Booth towards the doorway as she saw the laughing faces of her two friends enter the room. Her nose wrinkled at the sight of the wheelchair, "I am not getting in that." She stated firmly.

Angela smiled, "Hi to you sweetie."

"We've just had a doctor explain that it is hospital procedure, hospital protocol, apparently you don't get a choice." Hodgins explained as he shook Booth's hand.

"Hodgins," Booth said with a smile, shaking the man's hand before smiling at Angela, "good to see the two of you."

"What doctor?" Brennan questioned.

"Brunette," Hodgins answered, "I think her coat mentioned chief resident. She was holding her arm oddly, said she was needed at x-ray."

Booth began to laugh immediately, "You totally rattled her Bones, and she's gone to get her arm x-rayed."

"Sweetie," Angela began as she passed the bag of essentials to Brennan, before sitting on the bed next to her, "you told a doctor to get an x-ray?"

"I did nothing of the sort." Brennan answered, "I simply mentioned the strange way she was holding her clipboard and that I could tell she had broken her arm as a child and it was incorrectly set."

Hodgins laughed, "So basically you did the same as yesterday when you rankled the intern?"

"In Bones' defense," Booth began, "she did try and tell Bones where the talus bone was and she did call her 'Ms Brennan'."

"Totally justified." Hodgins then answered, "You did the right thing Doctor B. No one need tell you where a bone is."

"Exactly," Brennan replied with a smile, "besides the x-ray will do her good. I'm suspecting that there is some lasting damage, she'll be grateful to me."

"Just not today sweetie." Angela replied, her hand reaching out for her friends. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Definitely," Brennan replied, reaching for the zipper of the bag Angela had brought her, "let's get this show on the cart."

Booth laughed, "show on the road Bones, show on the road."

"We will leave you to get changed." Hodgins replied, "Coffee?" he questioned towards Booth.

"Definitely." Booth answered, "Coming Angela?"

Angela shook her head, "I think I'd be better use here," she said carefully watching as Brennan began to slide out from the bed, her uninjured leg first, pausing before trying to extract her injured leg from the sheets.

Hodgins and Booth both nodded, and then made their way out of the room.

"Here sweetie," Angela said offering Brennan her hand as she tried to sit up.

"Thanks," Brennan replied reluctantly taking Angela's hand for a second before releasing it as soon as possible.

* * *

Brennan sat in the lobby of the hospital, she was sure she was wearing a look of disgust. As much as she'd protested against the wheelchair Angela had ignored her and told her that she was either getting in the wheelchair or she was staying in hospital. Brennan had protested that the doctor had already discharged her; Angela's response was to tell her friend that she was married to a leading entomologist and he could always say that Brennan was in danger of some tropical disease that took at least five days to incubate. Brennan had told Angela that she believed that for professional courtesy Hodgins would do nothing of the sort. Angela had smiled and told Brennan she could get Hodgins to do anything – she was his wife and also carrying his baby. This revelation had lead to a long conversation about how exactly Angela had told her husband that she was pregnant. Brennan smiled, in true Angela form she'd simply shook Hodgins awake at 4am and told him the good news, she'd not been able to hold in her excitement a second longer. As Brennan expected Hodgins had been delighted and they'd eventually agreed that staying in Washington was the best for their little family – Angela had also made sure to tell Brennan that for now it was their secret that she'd told Brennan first about the pregnancy, she'd invoked something called the friendship code and apparently Brennan was powerless to resist the code, breaking the code would entail serious consequences – at least that is what Angela had explained. Brennan was unsure of how Angela knew about this code, after all Brennan had studied the laws and regulations of many countries and she'd never found a mention of such a code or its punishments, but this time she decided it was better to agree with her friend and keep quiet.

"You been left alone Bones?" Booth questioned, as he and Hodgins strode up to her.

"Where's Angie gone?" Hodgins asked, turning his head around to look for his wife.

"She's gone to get the car." Brennan explained, "One of the nurses said that there was a wheelchair parking space just outside the door. Angela felt it essential that we used that space."

"The parking space is for people in wheelchairs and you are in a wheelchair Bren." Angela added as she headed towards the three of them, car keys in hand.

Booth leant down close to Brennan and whispered; "I think it's better if you just listen to her Bones."

Brennan nodded and smiled, and with that Booth placed both hands on the handles of the wheelchair and pushed her outside.

By the time Brennan and Booth had made their way to the car, Hodgins was in the driver's seat with the engine running and Angela was standing at the back seat with the door wide open, the back seat was covered in blankets, every hard surface including the centre console had been covered, there was no way that Brennan would be reinjured on her way home.

Booth watched as Brennan stared into the car, he knew that she was frustrated by the situation she had found herself in. He simply offered her his hand as she moved from the wheelchair into the car seat.

Angela smiled as Brennan took hold of Booth's hand and he helped her into the car, it was a simple gesture, but unlike when Angela had offered Brennan her hand and she'd seen the reluctance in her friend's eyes, there seemed to be a smaller look of reluctance showing through Brennan's eyes. Angela took this as her hint to get into the car herself and she slipped in next to Hodgins.

"Thanks Booth," Brennan said as she settled into the seat, he reached over her and clipped her seatbelt into the clip, smiling as he did so.

"I'll see you tomorrow Bones." Booth told Brennan as he moved the wheelchair back from the car door and pushed the door closed.

Brennan clicked the power window button and as the window rolled down she spoke, "I'll see you tomorrow Booth and I need to you to remember something," Booth stared at her before she continued, "just being there doesn't make you responsible, remember that."

Booth sighed, as always Bones knew how to make her point and even though the conversation they'd shared about James was hours ago and hadn't even been mentioned this morning, she still knew that every so often James had been on his mind. "Thanks Bones," he replied, "I'll see you all later."

"Bye Booth." Angela and Hodgins said in unison and with that Hodgins indicated and pulled the car from the curb and into the traffic.

Booth watched as the car disappeared from sight, leaving him alone with the wheelchair, he sighed and began to push it back into the lobby, he and Bones were home, their year apart was done and she knew what happened to him in their time apart, but he was yet to discover what had happened to her, he sighed again, perhaps that was what tomorrow was for.

_

* * *

So there we have it, a bit of a lighter chapter this time, but that was what I felt we needed after the story of James. Next time we are out of hospital, thank goodness. I think we could all do with a change of scenery!_


End file.
